A Brief History of Aruba:- courtesy of IPA-Aruba

Aruba's first settlers were the Arawak Indians and remnants of their culture can be found throughout the island. In 1499, the Spanish explorer, Alonso de Ojeda, arrived and claimed the island for Spain. With little to interest them, the Conquistadores dubbed Aruba as Isla Inutil (useless island) and left.In 1636 the Dutch made Aruba into a satellite for the Dutch West Indies Company after being expelled from St. Maarten during the Spanish-Dutch war. The island was captured briefly by the British in 1805 during the Napoleonic War, but was returned to Holland as part of the 1815 Treaty of Paris. By then merchants had begun building Oranjestad.

In 1824, gold fever hit and there was a flood of immigrants hoping to strike it rich at the Bushiribana mines. The bubble burst in 1916 when the exhausted mine was closed for good. In 1929, the world's largest oil refinery was built on the southeastern coast. An economic boom followed, turning San Nicolas into a major commercial center and Aruba's second largest city. On March 18, 1976, Aruba celebrated its first National Day with its national anthem and flag. In 1986 Status Aparte (an autonomous status within the kingdom of the Netherlands) was granted. An important date in Aruba's history, archived by Betico Croes, after three generations in the making. This unique status was considered the first step towards autonomy.

Aruba History, Culture and Interesting Facts

 Aruba was first inhabited about 1,000 A.D. by the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe originating in Venezuela. Europeans had discovered Aruba in 1499 when Italian- Amerigo Vespucci & Spanish- Alonso de Ojeda were sailing together in the area of Venezuela on their 3rd trip from Europe. Both of these men had sailed with Christopher Columbus on all of his sailings from Europe. In 1508 Alonso de Ojeda was appointed as Spain’s first Governor of Aruba, and Aruba became a Spanish colony for more than 100 years.

Location: 12° 30’ north latitude; 70˚ west longitude  19 miles/31 km north of the Venezuelan coast  1820 nautical miles from New York City  990 nautical miles from Miami  890 nautical miles from the equator  3105 nautical miles from Buenos Aires. Population: 96.104, Central Bureau of Statistics 2003. Life expectancy: Male 71.6 years; female 76.8 years. Death rate: 5.2 per 1.000 population (world average 9.9). The birth rate is substantially lower than the Caribbean average. Language: Official language Dutch  Native language Papiamento  English and Spanish widely spoken.

Culture & People

The Aruban People _ You will discover that the Arubans are sincere and  probably the friendliest people you will ever meet while vacationing. You will always be treated as a guest and this is why tourists return year after year. Aruba has a healthy economy and an excellent educational system structured by the Dutch.   Language - The official language of Aruba is Papiamento & Dutch. For the most, Arubans speak a minimum of four languages including English and Spanish.   GOVERNMENT- The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The system of Government in Aruba is based on Western democratic principles. The Governor is appointed by the Queen of the Kingdom for a term of six years and acts as the sovereign's representative on the island.

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