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 Aruba| Facts & Figures |
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| Status: Part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands Governor: Fredis Refunjol (2004) Prime Minister: Nelson O. Oduber
(2001)
Current government officials
Total area: 75 sq mi (193 sq km) Population (2008 est.): 101,541 (growth
rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 12.8/1000; infant mortality rate:
14.2/1000; life expectancy: 75.0; density per sq mi: 969 Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Oranjestad, 20,700 Monetary unit: Aruban
guilder/florin More Facts & Figures |
Aruba, an island slightly larger than
Washington, DC, lies 18 mi (28.9 km) off the coast of Venezuela in the
southern Caribbean.
The Arawak Indians were the first inhabitants of
Aruba. Spain explored the island in 1499, and more than a century later
the Netherlands (1636) claimed the island. After a brief rule by the
British, the Dutch again took control of the island in 1816, and it
officially became part of the Netherlands Antilles in 1845.
On Jan. 1, 1986, Aruba seceded from the
federation, but it decided in 1994 to postpone indefinitely the transition
to full independence. The Netherlands controls Aruba's defense and foreign
affairs, but all internal affairs are handled by an island government
directing its own civil service, judiciary, revenue, and currency.
See also
Encyclopedia:
Aruba
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Aruba
Central Bureau of Statistics
http://www.aruba.com/extlinks/govs/cbstats.html
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