Did You Know...? At 72 square miles, Aruba is slightly larger than Washington, D.C. The island had a gold rush, set in motion by the discovery of gold in 1824. Aruba’s name probably derives from the Arawak word oibubai (meaning guide). Aruba claims it has more sunny days than any
Did You Know ... ? The name Argentina comes from the Latin term argentum, meaning silver. The world’s largest colony of Magellan penguins is located at Punta Tombo. Iguazu Falls, on the Argentina-Brazil border, is the world’s widest falls at 8,100 feet. Aconcagua, in Argentina, is South America’s highest mountain,
Did You Know ... ? Antigua’s craggy coastline provides 365 beaches, literally one for each day of the year. It is illegal to wear camouflage or military apparel in Antigua. Barbudans count only a half dozen surnames; all are descended from a group of slaves who arrived in the 17th
Did You Know ... ? The continent has 25 airports and 53 heliports; runways are solid ice. The marker for the geographic South Pole is moved each year because the ice is always moving. The ice holds about 70% of the world's fresh water; if it melted, Earth's oceans would
Did You Know ... ? Amerindians colonized the island 4,000 years ago; artifacts date to 1300 B.C. The provisional government in 1967 asked to be an administrative territory of the U.S. but was turned down. In Latin, Anguilla means eel, referring to the shape of the main island. The indigenous
Did You Know? Chocolate was a Mayan discovery, and the Maya used cacao as currency. After a Mayan ballgame, losers or their representatives were decapitated. There are more than 1,600 archaeological zones in Yucatan state alone. Campeche City is built on a village site the Maya called the Land of
Did You Know...? The island is called Virgin Gorda (i.e., Fat Virgin) because its profile reminded Columbus of a reclining woman. Philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller donated the land for Gorda Peak National Park in 1974. The island is home to the world's smallest lizard, the Virgin Gorda gecko. Sir Richard Branson
Did You Know ... ? The train to Tierra del Fuego's park is the world's southernmost railway and Ushuaia the southernmost town. The so-called killer whale (the orca) is really the world's largest dolphin. The Beagle Channel is named for the boat that Charles Darwin traveled on in 1831-36. Argentina
Did You Know ... ? Today there are 14 tower houses in San Gimignano, but once there were 72. Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” is set in and around Cortona. A Volterra artist was called “the underwear guy” after he painted over the nudity in Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment.”
Did You Know...? An international banking center, Tortola counts around 500,000 registered financial businesses. More than 80% of BVIslanders live on Tortola. Laurance Rockefeller purchased and donated the land for B.V.I.’s Sage Mountain National Park (1964). Road, as in Road Town, is the nautical name for a protected and safe
