An Introduction to Aruba
Densely populated Aruba is one of the four constituent countries that now form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, together with the Netherlands, Curaao, and Sint Maarten. Indian settlements date back to 1000 AD, but the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, and Aruba has been under Dutch administration since 1636. On 1 January 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles and officially became a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - full independence was set for 1996 but was postponed indefinitely in 1990 at the request of its Prime Minister. The process can begin again after a referendum. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Latin America
GOVERNMENT: constitutional monarchy (Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is head of state)
AREA: 178.9 sq km
POPULATION: 101,484 (Sept 2010 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: Dutch. Papiamento also a major language.
Some business and general info
The Market Research Industry
Trade and Industry in Aruba
Aruba's first tourists - its European 'discoverers' in the 16th century - described it as an 'island of giants', remarking on the comparatively large stature of the native Caquetíos compared to the folks back home.
Bobby Farrell, of 70s supergroup Boney M, is perhaps Aruba's best-known citizen.
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Densely populated Aruba is one of the four constituent countries that now form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, together with the Netherlands, Curaao, and Sint Maarten. Indian settlements date back to 1000 AD, but the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, and Aruba has been under Dutch administration since 1636. On 1 January 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles and officially became a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - full independence was set for 1996 but was postponed indefinitely in 1990 at the request of its Prime Minister. The process can begin again after a referendum.
Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape, with white sandy beaches on the more sheltered western and southern coasts, attracting year-round tourism. The island enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean region.
GDP: $2.4bn (PPP - 2007 est.) - $23,831 per capita
Religions Roman Catholic
Currency: Aruban Florin - $US 1 = 1.79 AWG (fixed)
Telephone Code: + 297
The island's economy has been dominated by five main industries: gold mining, phosphate mining, aloe export, petroleum refineries and tourism.
About three quarters of the Aruban gross national product is earned through tourism or related activities.
Small-scale exports of $124m consist mostly of live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical and transport equipment, and almost half of them go to Panama (29.7%) or Colombia; imports are much more substantial at $1.054 bn, consisting largely of machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals and foodstuffs, and come largely from the US (54.6%) and the Netherlands (12%).
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