`bə), island, autonomous part of the Netherlands (2005 est. pop. 71,600), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), in the Lesser Antilles off the coast of Venezuela. Oranjestad Oranjestad , town and port (1991 pop. 20,045), capital and administrative center of Aruba, in the Lesser Antilles. Oranjestad is a tourist destination with hotels and fine beaches; most of the island's population is concentrated here...... Click the link for more information. is the capital and main port. The population is largely a mixture of European and indigenous Caribbean peoples. Roman Catholics make up more than three quarters of the island's population, and there is a significant Protestant minority. Dutch is the official language, but many Arubans also speak Papiamento (a Spanish-based creole with Portuguese, Dutch, and English elements) and English. Tourism, oil refining, and offshore banking are the economic mainstays of the island, although the island's refinery was closed from 1985 to 1993. The Spanish claimed Aruba in 1499. It fell to the Dutch in 1636 and since then, with the exception of a few years during the Napoleonic Wars, it has belonged to the Netherlands. Aruba was part of the Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles, island group, an autonomous part of the Netherlands (2005 est. pop. 220,000), 371 sq mi (961 sq km), West Indies. Formerly known as the Dutch West Indies and Netherlands West Indies, they are divided into two groups.
..... Click the link for more information. until 1986 and is still linked with them economically.
Aruba
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Aruba
Official name: Aruba Capital city: Oranjestad Internet country code: .aw Flag description: Blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner
National anthem: “Aruba Dushi Tera”
Geographical description: Island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Total area: 112 sq. mi. (180 sq. km.)
Climate: Tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Nationality: noun: Aruban(s); adjective: Aruban
Population: 100,018 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: Mixed European/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
Languages spoken: Dutch (official) 5.8%, Papiamento (Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish, English
Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant and other Christian 8%, other (Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 10%
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