Aruba shares a history and topography with fellow ABC islands Bonaire and Curacao, but is quite distinct from the rest of the Caribbean. The three were all discovered in 1499 by a Spanish expedition that claimed them for its homeland. At the time of the Spanish conquest, Arawak Indians known as Caiquetios inhabited the islands and had, archaeologists surmise, since 2540 AD.

The origin of the name Aruba may have come from Indian phraseology meaning "well-placed," or from Spanish for "there was gold." Spain, however, never discovered Aruba's gold, and having declared it useless, shipped Indian natives from Aruba to work at the gold mines of Hispaniola. Thanks to the temporary transfer, the tribe managed to survive longer in Aruba than on most islands. The Arawak influence is still felt today in the genes and culture of the Arubans.

The Dutch entered the scene in 1634, led by Peter Stuyvesant. They recognized nearby Curacao for its promising natural harbor, and acquired Aruba and Bonaire to protect it. Aruba was also used as a ranching island for cattle and horses. To this day, Aruba remains part of the Netherlands.

Gold was finally discovered on Aruba in 1824, and the rush lasted about 100 years before mine production waned. Arubans next turned to fishing and aloe cultivation. In the early 20th century, Aruba's most lucrative enterprise moved in--oil refineries to process the black gold of nearby Venezuela. Prosperity soared. Then suddenly in 1985, the massive operations came to a near-halt and Aruba went in chase of the tourist market-- the island had welcomed its first cruise ship back in 1957. Capital city Oranjestad huddles today around the cruise ship port with modern, pastel malls and remnants of an 18th-century fort.

A mainstay of Aruba's tourism scene, Palm Beach is a long stretch of resort-lined, American-style beach. The hotels are largely American chains, casinos are plentiful, and restaurants are fairly generic.

Away from the vacationing-made-easy style, Aruba harbors a hauntingly hostile environment swept stern by near-constant trade winds. Aruba's outback, called cunucu in the local language, is a raw, rugged place where mammoth boulders rise like boils out of parched earth, where prickly kudushi cacti and thorny bushes grow, and where jagged cliffs line deep blue seas like violent rips in a pair of new-denim jeans.

The unusual divi-divi tree grows here. Like a tree with a bad hair life, its crown appears frozen in a permanent state of windblown, always pointing to the southwest. Along the north coast, the Natural Bridge, the island's most touted attraction, stretches like an altar across the Caribbean's adored waters. In nearby Arikok National Park, a proliferation of tall, barrel-shaped cacti crop up like a cathedral of pipe organs. The nearby dunes of Dos Playa and Boca Prins beaches are surreal in their beauty. Wind-blown beaches and colorful coral reefs wreath the entire island, making it a mecca for water sports enthusiasts.