Aruba

The land mass seen across Rendezvous Bay is the island St. Martin, which is separated from Anguilla by the Anguilla Channel. Rendezvous Bay houses the longest beach in Anguilla and is the site of the Battle of Anguilla (1796). The engagement took place during the Napoleonic Wars; the French were dispatched from St. Martin and landed on the beach of Rendezvous Bay. The invaders destroyed Anguilla's plantations, which by 1821 had almost entirely disappeared from the island. Although, the French were eventually routed by the British, the island's plantations never recovered, forcing many Anguillans into maritime occupations.

The village of Sandy Ground is Anguilla's main port and harbor. It contains a large salt pond that is part of Anguilla's salt industry. While Anguilla's salt resources are smaller than other area islands, it benefits from its more accessible location for shipping.

Aruba is a semi-arid island that experiences little variation in temperature throughout the year. Rainfall, which occurs mostly in November and December, averages less than 50 cm (20 in) a year. The red soil on the island is poor and thin and the thorny vegetation is quite drought resistant. Tourism and the refining of oil brought in from nearby Venezuela (whose northern coast appears below) are the major industries. Oraniestad, located on the northwest coast, is the major city of the island. Image courtesy of NASA.

A peaceful, golden Caribbean sunset.

Anguilla, one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, is composed of scrub-covered coral and limestone, which can be seen in this photograph of Limestone Bay. The island's many bays and pristine beaches draw visitors from around the world, making tourism Anguilla's main industry.