Aruba
Aruba is a 32 km long
island in the
Caribbean Sea, 27 km north of the
Paraguaná Peninsula,
Falcón State,
Venezuela, and it forms a part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, it has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism as visitors to the island can reliably expect warm, sunny weather. It has a land area of
193 km²Main article: History of Aruba
Discovered and claimed for
Spain in
1499, Aruba was conquered by the
Dutch in
1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A
19th-century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in
1924 of an
oil refinery which supplied a large percentage of US oil during WWII. The last decades of the
20th century saw a boom in the
tourism industry.
Aruba seceded from the
Netherlands Antilles on
January 1,
1986, and became a separate, self-governing member of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence by
1996 was halted at Aruba's request in
1990.
Politics of Aruba, a constituent country of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a
parliamentary representative democratic country, whereby the
prime minister is the
head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system.
Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal
legislative power is vested in both the
government and parliament. The
Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Aruba has full autonomy on most matters. Exceptions are defence, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court. The constitution was enacted in January
1986. Executive power rests with a governor, and a
prime minister heads an eight-member Cabinet. The governor general is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten for four-year terms. The legislature or Staten is made up of 21 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms.
Together with the
European part of Netherlands and the
Dutch Antilles Aruba forms a
federacy.
Legal jurisdiction lies with a
Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg on Aruba, a
Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (
Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba) and the
Supreme Court of Justice of the Netherlands.
Main article: Geography of Aruba
Aruba is a generally flat,
riverless island renowned for its white sand
beaches. Most of these are located on the western and southern coasts of the island, which are relatively sheltered from fierce ocean currents. The northern and eastern coasts, lacking this protection, are considerably more battered by the sea and have been left largely untouched by humans. The interior of the island features some rolling hills, the better two of which are called
Hooiberg at 165
metres (541
ft) and
Mount Jamanota, which is the highest on the island, at 188 metres (617 ft) above
sea level. Oranjestad, the capital, is located at .
As a separate member state of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, the island/state has no administrative subdivisions. On the east are
Curaçao and
Bonaire, two island territories which form the southwest part of the
Netherlands Antilles; Aruba and these two Netherlands Antilles islands are also known as the
ABC islands.
The local
climate is a pleasant tropical marine climate. Little seasonal temperature variation exists, which helps Aruba to attract tourists all year round. Temperatures are almost constant at about 28
°C (82
°F), moderated by constant
trade winds from the
Atlantic Ocean. Yearly precipitation barely reaches 500
mm (20
in), most of it falling in late autumn.
Main article: Economy of Aruba
Aruba enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean region, with low poverty and unemployment rates. About half of the Aruban
Gross National Product is earned through
tourism or related activities. Most of the tourists are from
Canada, the
European Union and the
United States, which is the country's largest trading partner. Before the Status Aparte (Secession from the Neth. Antilles) oil processing was the dominant industry in Aruba, despite expansion of the tourism sector. Today, the influence of the oil processing business is minimal. The size of the agriculture and manufacturing industries remains minimal.
Deficit spending has been a staple in Aruba's history, and modestly high inflation has been present as well, although recent efforts at tightening monetary policy may correct this. Aruba receives some
development aid from the Dutch government each year. The Aruban florin is pegged to the
United States dollar with a fixed exchange rate where 1.79 florin equals 1 US dollar.
See main article at Demographics of Aruba |
Population of Aruba, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. |
Having poor
soil and aridity, Aruba was saved from plantation economics and the
slave trade. In 1515, the Spanish transported the entire population to
Hispaniola to work in the
copper mines; most were allowed to return when the mines were tapped out. The Dutch, who took control a century later, left the
Arawaks to graze livestock, using the island as a source of meat for other Dutch possessions in the Caribbean. The Arawak heritage is stronger on Aruba than on most Caribbean islands. No full-blooded
Aboriginals remain, but the features of the islanders clearly indicate their genetic heritage. The majority of the population is descended from Arawak, Dutch and Spanish ancestors. Recently there has been substantial immigration to the island from neighboring Latin American and Caribbean nations, attracted by the lure of well-paying jobs.
The two official languages are the Dutch language and the predominant, national language
Papiamento, which is classified as a Creole language. This
creole language is formed primarily from 16th century
Portuguese, and several other languages. Spanish and English are also spoken. Islanders can often speak four or more languages and are mostly
Roman Catholic.
Population: 102,695 (March 2006 est.)
Age structure:* 0-14 years: 20.7% (male 7,540; female 7,121)
* 15-64 years: 68.3% (male 23,427; female 24,955)
* 65 years and over: 11% (male 3,215; female 4,586) (2003 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.55% (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:* total: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births
* female: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
* male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:* total population: 78.83 years
* male: 75.48 years
* female: 82.34 years (2003 est.)
Main article: Culture of Aruba
The origins of the population and location of the island give Aruba a mixed culture. Dutch influence can still be seen, even though not much of the population is of Dutch origin. Tourism from the United States has recently also increased the visibility of American culture on the island.
Queen Beatrix International Airport, located near
Oranjestad, currently serves the whole island of Aruba. This airport has access to various cities across the eastern U.S., from Miami, Orlando, Houston, Atlanta to New York. It also connects Aruba with Europe through
Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.
The holiday of
Carnival is an important one in Aruba, as it is in many Caribbean and Latin American countries. Carnival is usually held from the beginning of January until the end of February, with a large parade on the final Sunday of the festivities.
See also: Music of Aruba and the Netherlands AntillesLanguage can be seen as an important part of island culture in Aruba. The cultural mixture has given way to a linguistic mixture known as
Papiamento. However, islanders are known to speak many languages. Islanders often speak Papiamento, English, Dutch and Spanish. In recent years the government of Aruba has shown an increased interest in acknowledging the cultural and historical importance of its native language.
*
Communications in Aruba*
Foreign relations of Aruba*
Transportation in Aruba*
Military of Aruba*
Scouting Aruba*
Aruba.com - Official governmental portal
*
VisitAruba - Most popular Aruba tourism web site
*
Library of Congress Portals on the World - Aruba* An
island map of Aruba and a
detailed map of Oranjestad are available at Caribbean-On-Line.com
*
Aruba Photographs - Aruba Photographs
*
Aruba Bulletin Board - Most popular discussion forum about Aruba
*
Photos & Pictures of Aruba*
Aruba Airport Authority*
CBAruba.org - The official Central Bank of Aruba.
*
N.V. Elmar - Aruba's electric utility
*http://www.arubayp.com/ - telephone directory
*
- Lago Colony & Lago Refinery - Lago Colony and Lago Refinery web site.
*
Aruba vacation pictures*
Aruba Property Guide*
Aruba Resort Guide*
Aruba Resource Directory*
Beaches of Aruba - One couple's guide to Aruba.
