Maps of Aruba

2005-11-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

Finding a Map of Aruba isn't hard. You probably just want to know where your hotel is in contrast to the rest of the island, and that's great. But, the reason I've provided these maps is so you can get differing views on your destination.

And when you get there, just think how fascinating it will be to ride around already knowing some key points? That's a time-saver in itself.

Here are some interesting points I've found about the island of Aruba:

First of all, the first inhabitants are from the Amazon jungle area between the Rio Negro and Solimoes rivers (tributaries of the main Amazon). Now how do you suppose these people even knew there was an island offshore? That, I can't answer. Maybe there are telltale signs of islands offshore, such as differing wave action, certain floating fruits, birds.

For years a group of pre-ceramic age Indians lived on Aruba. Then, archaeologists tell us they were wiped out, or assimilated by another tribe, probably coming from northern Colombia or other parts of the Caribbean.

When Spanish Conquistadors found it, the island was so desert-like and barren, they said it was simple wasteland and worthless. Later they used it for raising burros. They took most all the Indian inhabitants and moved them to present day Haiti to work in the sugar cane fields. Then later they moved some of them back, providing the mix you see today (Haiti also had tribes from Africa working the fields).

The Dutch won the island and still have some authority over it to this day. In more modern times, men brought palm trees to the island. They were not native to Aruba. Mostly cactus and aloe grew there for centuries. Most of the goats and donkeys are from the Spaniards.

Since the island lies right off one of the biggest oil fields in the hemisphere, it was a natural site for an oil refinery. The oil refinery was built in the 1920's and became a game piece during the Second World War as the Allied forces made use of almost all the oil. More than a few German submarines made their way to Aruba in an attempt to take over the refinery. Even though it never happened, there are gun mounts on Sero Colorado and a sunken German freighter lies just off Malmok.

That freighter, the 400 foot Antilla - a submarine supply ship, was scuttled when German forces learned it was about to be captured. The crew sat out the rest of the war as prisoners on Aruba. The wreck is the largest shipwreck dive in the Caribbean.

Today, dozens of resorts dot the Southwest side of the island along Palm Beach. Still, there are remnants of an old gold mine, caves the wind under the northern coast, and large cliffs of what was once coral reef.

Make sure you visit these sites and while there and visit the Top Three Beaches on Aruba to see why they call it One Happy Island. And we hoped you enjoyed Maps of Aruba.