Aruba

Yes, Aruba has a Chamber of Commerce. The Aruba Chamber of Commerce [Camara de Comercio e Industria Aruba] was established on September 8, 1930. By law it's the official representative of trade and industry on Aruba. It's address is the following:

J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 10

Oranjestad, Aruba

The phone number is [297] 582-1120. It's 011-297-582-1120 if dialing from the United States of America.

The Aruba Chamber of Commerce's website can be accessed by visiting the link provided below.

No, you can't travel with an enhanced license to Aruba. Passports are required for all U.S. citizens to enter and exit Aruba by international air travel. Passports or passport cards are required to enter and exit Aruba by sea.

Specifically, enhanced driver's licenses don't meet International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO] document standards. For example, they may be used to cross Canadian and Mexican borders by road, rail, or sea. But that's not the case by air.

First Choice uses Boeing 767 aircraft for flights from Gatwick Airport to Aruba.

Specifically, these flights feature extra leg room for all, with 33-inch seat pitch even in economy. Seat back TVs include movies and games. First Choice offers special packages to Aruba from May through October.

Bon Dia Aruba is a newspaper in Aruba. It's published in Papiamento. It's available online. It's owned by Caribbean Speed Printers NV. Their address is the following:

Weststraat 22

Oranjestad, Aruba.

Their phone number is [+297] 582-7800. Their fax number is [+297] 582-7044. Their email address is infor@bondia.com.

Caribbean Speed Printers NV is owned by John Chemaly Jr.

To view 'Bon Dia Aruba', please visit the link provided below.

The divi divi is a tree or large shrub that's native to the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and northern South America. It's known by the common name of 'watapana' on Aruba. It also has the scientific name of Caesalpinia coriaria. That's its name, in terms of genus and species. The scientific name is part of the scientific classification of the tree. The complete classification is as follows:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Caesalpinia

Species: Coriaria.

A distance of 1,132 miles to 1,658 miles separates Aruba from Florida, depending on the point of departure. The distances from three Florida cities follow.

One, Miami is about 1,132 miles [1,821 kilometers; 983 nautical miles] from Aruba. Miami's on the southeast coast of Florida. It takes about 2.5 hours to fly from Miami to Aruba. They aren't in the same time zone. Miami is one hour behind Aruba.

Two, Orlando is about 1,324 miles [2,130 kilometers; 1,150 nautical miles] from Aruba. Orlando is in central Florida. It takes about 2 hours 45 minutes to fly from Orlando to Aruba. They aren't in the same time zone. Orlando is one hour behind Aruba.

Three, Pensacola is about 1,658 miles [2,668 kilometers; 1,441 nautical miles] from Aruba. Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle. It takes about 3.5 hours to fly from Pensacola to Aruba. They aren't in the same time zone. Pensacola is two hours behind Aruba.

The Spanish and then the Dutch were Aruba's colonizers.

Specifically, Aruba's European settlers came from the modern-day countries of Spain and the Netherlands. Spain's colonial role began shortly after 1499 and lasted about a century. The Dutch role dates back to 1636. It is for this reason that Dutch is one of the island's official languages. It is also the reason why Aruba's strongest economic and political ties still are to the Netherlands.

Djucu nuts wash up on Aruba's shores, coming mainly from Venezuela.

Specifically, djucu nuts are black or dark brown. Their hard shell survives the sea voyage. Djucu nuts are considered lucky and are often made into jewelry as bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.

No, JetBlue does not offer all of the TV channels on their flights to Aruba.

Specifically, the DirecTV option is available on all flights within the continental boundaries of the United States of America. The XM Satellite Radio option also is restricted to continental flights. But what is available on the flights to Aruba is free to all passengers.

According to the Official Aruba Community Forum, mail tends to take several weeks to travel from Aruba to the United States.

Specifically, the Forum encourages mailing Aruban postcards upon your return to the United States and not while you are on vacation in Aruba! Aruba began issuing its own stamps in 1986. The post office is located at J.E. Irausquinplein 9 in Oranjestad.

No, coquis (Eleutherodactylus spp) are not small anteater-like animals.

Specifically, the word is a Puerto Rican term for small frogs. Two species of the little frogs lacking in webbing between their toes have been identified as native to Puerto Rico. The common and the mountain coquis thus far are recorded as having spread from their Puerto Rican home into the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as into the Dominican Republic.

No, Aruba is not a commonwealth.

Specifically, Aruba is an island in the south Caribbean. But it is not one of the Caribbean's sovereign states. Instead, it is an autonomous but yet dependent country within the European Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Caribbean is the sea in which Aruba is located.

Specifically, Aruba is a desert island in the south Caribbean. Its closest geographic neighbor is the South American country of Venezuela, at an approximate distance of 17 miles (27 kilometers). Its closest neighbor in the Caribbean is the island of Curaçao, at an approximate distance of 73 miles (117 kilometers).

Buying at the grocery store and eating at a fast food restaurant or a food stand are cheap options for eating out in Aruba.

Specifically, Oranjestad has large, highly regarded supermarkets in convenient locations and with quality food. Equal in regard is the reputation of Aruba's fast food restaurants and food stands. Fast food restaurants range from Dominos Pizza to Dunkin Donuts, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Wendy's. Picturesque food stands sell local delicacies at reasonable prices and with courteously quick service.

Aruba's drug laws are severe, according to the U.S. Department of State Travel Information on Aruba. It's noted that the penalties for illegal drug possession, trafficking, or use are severe. Convicted offenders are given long jail sentences and heavy fines.

It also is noted that unknowingly violating Aruba's laws may result in expulsion, arrest, or imprisonment.

For information on criminal penalties in Aruba, please visit the link provided below.

No, Arubans aren't black or white. Instead, they're a mix of black and white. That mix and the Caribbean sun give them the look of a year round tan.

Specifically, the modern day Aruban is a blend of over 40 nationalities in addition to the original Arawak inhabitants. The population is estimated to be 80 percent mixed Amerindian European ancestry and 20 percent other ethnicities. The first inhabitants were Arawak Indians who migrated from the Orinoco Basin in South America. Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda [c. 1466-1515] came across Aruba in 1499 while exploring nearby Venezuela.

Spain was in control of the island until 1636, when the Dutch gained control. The United Kingdom occupied Aruba from 1799 to 1802 and again from 1805 to 1815. Aruba then returned to Dutch rule until the island gained autonomy on January 1, 1986.