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{{Short description|Dutch Caribbean island country}}
{{About|the Dutch Caribbean island country}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox dependency
| name                        = Aruba
| settlement_type             = [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Constituent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
| official_name               = Country of Aruba<br />{{nobold|{{native name|nl|Land Aruba}}}}<br />{{nobold|{{native name|pap|Pais Aruba}}}}
| image_flag                  = Flag of Aruba.svg
| flag_size                   = 125
| flag_link                   = Flag of Aruba
| image_seal                  = Aruba wapen.svg
| seal_size                   = 90
| seal_type                   = Coat of arms
| seal_link                   = Coat of arms of Aruba
| anthem                      = "[[Aruba Dushi Tera]]"<br />({{Langx|en|"Aruba, Sweet Land"}})<div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">{{center|[[File:Aruba Dushi Tera instrumental.ogg]]}}</div>
| song_type                   = '''Royal anthem'''
| song                        = "[[Wilhelmus]]"<br />({{langx|en|"William of Nassau"}})<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:United States Navy Band - Het Wilhelmus (tempo corrected).ogg|Het Wilhelmus]]</div>
| image_map                   = Aruba in its region (zoom).svg
| map_alt                     = Location of Aruba
| map_caption                 = Location of Aruba (circled in red)
| mapsize                     = 290px
| subdivision_type            = [[Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name            = {{flag|Kingdom of the Netherlands}}
| established_title           = Before separation
| established_date            = [[Netherlands Antilles]]
| established_title2          = Country status
| established_date2           = 1 January 1986
| official_languages          = {{hlist|[[Papiamento]]|[[Dutch language|Dutch]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Migge |first1=Bettina |last2=Léglise |first2=Isabelle |last3=Bartens |first3=Angela |year=2010 |title=Creoles in Education: An Appraisal of Current Programs and Projects |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company |location=Amsterdam |page=268 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4SMLb6hKv4YC&pg=PT276 |isbn=978-90-272-5258-6 |access-date=7 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503143354/https://books.google.com/books?id=4SMLb6hKv4YC&lpg=PT276 |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=live
}}</ref>}}
| languages_type         = Other languages
| languages              = [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[English language|English]]
| demonym                     = [[Culture of Aruba|Aruban]]
| capital                     = [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]
| coordinates                 = {{Coord|12|31|7|N|70|2|9|W|type:city(28,300)_NL-AW}}
| largest_city                = capital
| ethnic_groups               = <!--Do not change: no data available for ethnicity group, therefore data of population by nationality is used instead. -->{{Unbulleted list|''<u>note</u>: population by nationality''|Dutch 78.7%|Colombian 6.6%|Venezuelan 5.5%|Dominican 2.8%|Haitian 1.3%|other 5.1%<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Aruba|access-date=2023-05-20 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/aruba/}}</ref>}}
| ethnic_groups_year          = 2020
| government_type             = [[Devolution|Devolved]] parliamentary [[representative democracy]] within a [[constitutional monarchy]]
| leader_title1               = [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|Monarch]]
| leader_name1                = [[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands|Willem-Alexander]]
| leader_title2               = [[Governor of Aruba|Governor]]
| leader_name2                = [[Alfonso Boekhoudt]]
| leader_title3               = [[Prime Minister of Aruba|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name3                = [[Mike Eman]]
| legislature                 = [[Parliament of Aruba]]
| area_km2                    = 180<ref name="cia.gov"/><ref name="rijksoverheid.nl">{{cite web |title=Waaruit bestaat het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden? – Rijksoverheid.nl |url=https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/caribische-deel-van-het-koninkrijk/vraag-en-antwoord/waaruit-bestaat-het-koninkrijk-der-nederlanden |website=onderwerpen |publisher=Ministerie van Algemene |language=nl-NL |date=19 May 2015}}</ref>
| area_rank                   = 189th <!-- Should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| percent_water               = negligible
| elevation_max_m             = 188
| elevation_max_ft            = 
|population_census            = 108,880<ref>{{cite web |website=Central Bureau of Statistics Aruba |date=September 2025 |title=The development of the population of Aruba in the last 50 years (1st quarter 2025)|url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/11/24/test-births/}}</ref>
|population_census_year       = 2025
| population_estimate           = 
| population_estimate_rank    = 
| population_estimate_year    = 
| population_density_km2      = 560.4
| population_density_sq_mi    = 
| population_density_rank     = 
| GDP_PPP                     = {{increase}} $5.502&nbsp;billion<ref name="IMFWEO.AW">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=314,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Aruba) |website=IMF.org |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=21 October 2023}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year                = 2023
| GDP_PPP_rank                = 
| GDP_PPP_per_capita          = {{increase}} $51,352<ref name="IMFWEO.AW" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank     = 
| GDP_nominal                 = {{increase}} $3.827&nbsp;billion<ref name="IMFWEO.AW" />
| GDP_nominal_year            = 2023
| GDP_nominal_rank            = 
| GDP_nominal_per_capita      = {{increase}} $35,717<ref name="IMFWEO.AW" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 
| currency                    = [[Aruban florin]] (ƒ)
| currency_code               = AWG
| timezone                    = [[Atlantic Time Zone|AST]]
| utc_offset                  = −04:00
| electricity                 = 127 V/60 Hz
| drives_on                   = right
| calling_code                = [[Telephone numbers in Aruba|+297]]
| iso_code                    = {{hlist|[[ISO 3166-2:AW|AW]]|[[ISO 3166-2:NL|NL-AW]]}}
| cctld                       = [[.aw]]

}}

'''Aruba''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|r|uː|b|ə}} {{respell|ə|ROO|bə}}, {{IPA|nl|aːˈrubaː|langx}} <small>or</small> {{IPA|nl|aːˈrybaː||nl-Aruba.ogg}}, {{IPA|pap|aˈruba|langx}}}} officially the '''Country of Aruba''',{{efn|{{langx|nl|Land Aruba}}; {{langx|pap|Pais Aruba}}}} is a constituent [[island country]] within the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]], in the southern [[Caribbean Sea]] {{convert|29|km|0}} north of the Venezuelan peninsula of [[Paraguaná Peninsula|Paraguaná]] and {{convert|80|km|0}} northwest of [[Curaçao]].<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/37333/Aruba|title=Aruba|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=28 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515014514/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/37333/Aruba|archive-date=15 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 September 2018 |title=What Continent Is Aruba In? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-continent-is-aruba-in.html |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1986, Aruba became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba.

Aruba has an area of {{cvt|179|km2|1}}. Aruba measures {{convert|32|km|0}} in length from its northwestern to its southeastern end and is {{convert|10|km|0}} across at its widest point.<ref name="Britannica" /> Aruba is geologically located in [[South America]], lying on the South American [[continental shelf]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 September 2018 |title=What Continent Is Aruba In? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-continent-is-aruba-in.html |access-date=2024-12-14 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref> Alongside [[Bonaire]] and Curaçao, Aruba forms part of an island group referred to as the [[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]]. The [[Dutch Caribbean]] encompasses the ABC islands along with the other three substantial islands, the [[SSS islands]]. In contrast to much of the Caribbean, which experiences humid tropical climates, Aruba has a dry climate with an arid [[Deserts and xeric shrublands|xeric]] landscape.<ref name="Britannica" /><ref name="autogenerated2" /> The relatively warm and sunny weather persists throughout the year.

With a population of 108,880 (excluding undocumented immigrants),<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |date=24 November 2022 |title=The development of the population of Aruba – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/11/24/test-births/ |access-date=2025-09-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> Aruba is home to about one-third of the total population of the Dutch Caribbean. As one of the four countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, alongside the [[Netherlands]], Curaçao, and [[Sint Maarten]], Aruba shares Dutch nationality with its citizens.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Aruba|access-date=28 July 2019 }}</ref> Aruba lacks administrative subdivisions but is divided into eight regions for [[census]] purposes with [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]] as its capital.<ref name="autogenerated2" /><ref name="Britannica" />

==Etymology==
{{Main|Name of Aruba}}
The name Aruba most likely came from the [[Caquetío language|Caquetío]] ''Oruba'' which means "well situated island", seeing as it was the [[Caquetio|Caquetío]] who were present on the island when [[Alonso de Ojeda]] arrived in the 16th century. Between 1529 and the 1648 [[Peace of Westphalia|Treaty of Westphalia]], the name "Isla de Oruba" was used for the island by the Spanish. The island was ceded to the Dutch, and gradually its name was changed to Aruba.

There were many different names for Aruba used by other Amerindian groups, all of which could have contributed to the present-day name Aruba. Another Caquetío name for the island was ''Oibubia'' which means "Guided island". The [[Taino]] name for the island was ''Arubeira''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dick |first1=Kenneth |title=Aboriginal and early Spanish names for some Caribbean, Circum-Caribbean islands and cays |url=http://stcroixarchaeology.org/files/Aboriginal_Early_Spanish_Names_-_Dick.pdf#page=8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://stcroixarchaeology.org/files/Aboriginal_Early_Spanish_Names_-_Dick.pdf#page=8 |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |website=stcroixarchaeology |publisher=The St, Croix Archeological Society}}</ref> The [[Kalinago]] also had two names for the island ''Ora Oubao'' which means "Shell island"<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brushaber|first1=Susan|last2=Greenberg|first2=Arnold|title=Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao Alive!|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uCigiQGl1fwC&pg=PA38|year=2001|publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc|isbn=978-1-58843-259-9|page=38}}</ref> and ''Oirubae'' which means "Companion of Curaçao".

A common misconception is that the name "Aruba" came from ''Oro hubo,'' (Spanish for "There was gold once"). However, the Spanish declared these islands ''islas inútiles'', meaning "useless islands", due to their apparent lack of mineral wealth.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Hartog |first=Johan |title=Aruba: Past and Present: from the time of the indians until today |publisher=D.J. De Wit |year=1961 |location=Oranjestad, Aruba |language=en |translator-last=Verleun |translator-first=J.A.}}</ref> It was not until 1824 that gold was discovered on Aruba by a 12-year-old herder named [[Willem Rasmijn]], leading to the [[Aruban Gold Rush]].<ref>Teenstra, M. (1837). De Nederlandsche West-Indische eilanden in derzelver tegenwoordigen toestand, Aflevering 2. In L. U. (KIT), ''www.colonial.library.leiden.edu'' (p. 381). AMSTERDAM: C.G.Sulpke.</ref>

==History==
===Pre-ceramic age===
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-2344-198 Stenen bijlkling Aruba.jpg
| image2            = Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-2344-193 Stenen vuistbijl Aruba.jpg
| align             = right
| total_width       = 300
| footer            = (left) Stone axe blade (right) Stone hand axe
}}
In Aruba's prehistoric era, there were distinct periods: the [[Archaic period (North America)|Archaic]] or [[Aceramic|Pre-Ceramic]] and the [[Formative stage|Neo-Indian]] or Ceramic (Dabajuroïd)  period.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Alofs |first=L. |title=Koloniale mythen en Benedenwindse feiten : Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire in inheems Atlantisch perspectief, ca. 1499–1636 |year=2018 |pages=19–27 |trans-title=Colonial Myths and Leeward Realities: Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire from an Indigenous Atlantic Perspective, ca. 1499–1636 |chapter=Inheemse eilanden: een korte kennismaking |publisher=Sidestone Press |isbn=978-90-8890-602-2 |trans-chapter=Indigenous islands: a brief introduction |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-9789088906022/page/19/mode/2up}}</ref> The Archaic occupation of Aruba continued well into the first millennium AD, which is relatively late compared to other parts of the insular Caribbean. The archaic lifestyle revolved around a food economy based on [[Hunter-gatherer|fishing, hunting, and gathering]], with a strong emphasis on marine resources. Ceramics were absent, as was horticulture and agriculture.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mickleburgh |first1=Hayley L. |url= |title=The Archaeology of Caribbean and Circum-Caribbean Farmers (6000 BC – AD 1500) |last2=Laffoon |first2=Jason E. |publisher=Routledge |year=2018 |isbn=9781351169202 |location=London |chapter=Assessing dietary and subsistence transitions on prehistoric Aruba: Preliminary bioarchaeological evidence |doi=10.4324/9781351169202 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-5aDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT330}}</ref> Weapons and tools were predominantly crafted from stone.<ref name=":5" /> Sharp-edged ax blades, chisels, and knives were commonly used, with the knives distinguishable by their elongated shape and flat blades.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=De Josselin De Jong |first=J. P. B. |year=1919 |title=De Beteekenis Van Het Archaeologisch Onderzoek Op Aruba, Curaçao En Bonaire |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41847531 |journal=De West-Indische Gids |volume=1 |pages=317–334 |jstor=41847531 |issn=0372-7289}}</ref>

One notable site, Sero Muskita, yielded a tool that is older than other archaic age sites on the island. The finishing techniques and shape of this tool resembles one found at Arikok, suggesting a date before approximately 2000 BC. The presence of these tools on the island may be from occasional visits from the mainland. In total, 33 archaic age sites have been identified on Aruba.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last1=Kelly |first1=H.J. |title=Early Settlers of the Insular Caribbean: Dearchaizing the Archaic |last2=Hofman |first2=C.L. |publisher=Sidestone Press |year=2019 |publication-place=Leiden |pages=147–162 |chapter=The Archaic Age of Aruba: New evidence on the first migrations to the island |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333561268}}</ref>

==== Early human migration and cultural exchange ====
[[File:NL-HaNA 4.JBF 206.jpg|thumb|Sketch of hieroglyphs found of earlier presence of former inhabitants, drawn on cave roof with reddish ocre-like paint, ratio 1/20. (1827)]]

During this period, the [[Leeward Islands]] maintained connections and engaged in trade with mainland South America, particularly with partners in the present-day [[Falcón]]-[[Zulia]] state in [[Venezuela]] and possibly the [[Guajira Peninsula|La Guajira Peninsula]] (Venezuela/[[Colombia]]). The specific language group to which they belonged remains uncertain. This theory is supported by the discovery of 60 to 70 Amerindian cemetery burial  grounds in [[Malmok]]<ref>Versteeg, A. H. (1991). [https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/19/61/00405/13-9.pdf A preceramic burial site at Malmok (Aruba)]. In Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology. Ayubi EN, Haviser JB (eds). Reports of the Archaeological–Anthropological Institute of the Netherlands Antilles (No. 9, pp. 105–126).</ref> and [[Canashito]]. Burial sites at Canashito are dated between 100 BC to 100 AD. [[Isotope analysis|isotopic]] research revealed that one of the individuals buried there was not from Aruba and had a different diet compared to the other four individuals of Aruban origin. This finding suggests that early [[human migration]] and cultural exchange were already part of the cultural pattern of these archaic Indians at an early stage.<ref name=":02" />

The burial site in Malmok dates to between 450 and 1000 AD. The Arubans of that time had a short and stocky physique, with adult men averaging {{Convert|1.57|m|ft}} in height and women averaging {{Convert|1.49|m|ft}}. The burial customs offer insight into the social dynamics of the archaic island inhabitants. Based on the burial patterns,<ref>{{cite web |title=Distributions of graves and gifts |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268741493 |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref> it was deduced that they travelled in clans of 15 to 30 people. These groups were led by an adult man who was buried at the center of the cluster. His elevated status was emphasised by the presence of several stones marking his grave. The rest of the family group was buried around him.<ref name=":02" />

=== Neo-Indian period: the Caquetío ===
{{See also|A.J. van Koolwijk}}
The archaic population disappeared from Aruba from the archaeological record around 950 AD, shortly after the arrival of the [[Formative stage|neo-Indian]]—[[Caquetio|Caquetío]]. It is clear that the Caquetíos had a superior culture in socio-economic and technological terms. It is possible that the Caquetío lived alongside the archaic Indians for a time and that they were ultimately displaced or assimilated.<ref name=":02" />

The Caquetío belonged to the [[Arawak]] people. The origin of Arawak civilisation (a name based on a linguistic classification) is located in the central [[Amazon rainforest|Amazon]] region. Between 1500 and 500 BC, the influence of the Arawaks had expanded to the [[Caribbean Basin]] and the [[The Guianas|Guianas]]. Between 850 and 1000 AD, Caquetío Indians migrated from western Venezuela, probably from the Paraguaná and Guajire peninsulas, to the [[Leeward Antilles]]. They belonged to the [[Arawakan languages|Arawak-Maipure]] language family.<ref name=":1">{{Cite thesis |last=Oliver |first=J.R. |year=1989 |title=The Archaeological, Linguistic and Ethnohistorical Evidence for the Expansion of Arawakan into Northwestern Venezuela and Northeastern Colombia |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10157455/ |type=PhD thesis |publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign |access-date=2023-09-15 |via=UCL Discovery}}</ref><ref name=":2">Haviser, J.B. (1991). ''The first Bonaireans''. Archaeological-Anthropological Institute of the Netherlands Antilles.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rouse |first=Irving |url=https://archive.org/details/tainosrisedeclin00rous |title=The Tainos : rise & decline of the people who greeted Columbus |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1992 |location=New Haven |access-date=2023-09-15 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dijkhoff |first=Raymundo A. C. F. |url=http://archive.org/details/MANA-DIG-TESIS-DIJKHOFF-1997 |title=Tanki Flip / Henriquez: an early Urumaco site in Aruba |date=1997 |publisher=Leiden : [s.n.]}}</ref> The name Caquetío refers to how this group referred to themselves during their first contact with Europeans. They had longer and narrower skulls than the archaic population, and their height was up to {{Convert|1.60|m|ft}}. The newcomers brought pottery and agriculture to the islands and are therefore classified as part of the neo-Indian period.<ref name=":02" />

==== Caquetío chiefdom ====
The area over which the legendary cacique Manaure exercised his authority was the coastal region of the current state Falcón-Zulia at Venezuela, including the Paraguaná Peninsula, as well as Aruba, [[Curaçao]] and [[Bonaire]]. The Caquetío people had a highly developed process of state formation. They had a chiefdom, which in human evolution is often a precursor to a kingdom, where central leaders—[[Paramount chief|''paramount chiefs'']]—controlled multiple subordinate political-administrative units.<ref>Sahlins, M.D. (1968). ''Tribesmen (Foundations of Modern Anthropology)'' (1st ed.). Prentice Hall. {{ISBN|978-0-13-930933-5}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The emphasis was more on the political and religious alliances between indigenous communities than on the military control or subjugate vast territories.

At the head of the Caquetío chiefdom was a spiritual leader called ''diao'' who had both secular and religious authority in modern terms. He was endowed with powers that could influence nature: a shaman. The diao position was hereditary. By being allowed to marry multiple wives, the diao was able to establish and maintain political alliances with other groups, tribes, or villages. The chiefdom was centralised in its design, but not based on authoritarian or violence-based subjugation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thornton |first=John K. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cultural-history-of-the-atlantic-world-12501820/6AB63A6E5C61FE23397BDE51A45DA0BB |title=A Cultural History of the Atlantic World, 1250–1820 |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-89875-1 |location=Cambridge |doi=10.1017/cbo9781139021722}}</ref> The Spanish [[conquistador]]s interrupted this process of expansion at the time of the European contact (AD 1499–1535).

==== Political units and governance ====
The Caquetío territory consisted of several small political units that were under the authority of lower "second-tier chiefs" who were subordinate to the highest authority.<ref name=":1" /> How the central authority was exercised over the units is not clear. However, there are reports from the contact period that suggest the diao did not exert his power over the lower units in arbitrary manner. Likely there was a form of consultation between the diao and lower leaders. In the 16th century, two sub-units, the [[Guaraní people|Guaranos]] and [[Amuay]]es, lived on the Paraguaná Peninsula.<ref name=":02" /> Aruba, which is less than 30 kilometres away from Paraguaná, was previously connected to one of these units.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Oliver, J.R. (1997). "Dabajuroïd Archaeological, Settlements and House structures: an overview from mainland Western Venezuela". ''The Archaeology of Aruba: the Tanki Flip Site'' (A.H. Versteeg & Rostain ed.). Aruba: Archeological museum, no. 8. {{ISBN|978-99904-85-20-2}}</ref>
[[File:Aruban-pot-AKw-541.jpg|thumb|<!-- This is how the pot is described at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.  -->Aruban pot (before 1881). Colonial records often give a one-sided perspective on the indigenous heritage. Original inhabitants of the Caribbean had many languages and cultures. And there was considerable exchange of ideas and produce. — [[Wereldmuseum Amsterdam|Tropenmuseum]]]]
After the diao and the regional sub-units, such as the mentioned Guaranaos an Amuayes in Paraguaná, the village formed the third level of governance in the hierarchy of the chiefdom. Aruba had (not simultaneously) five villages: three larger ones Ceri Noca ([[Santa Cruz, Aruba|Santa Cruz]]), Tanki Flip ([[Noord]]), and [[Savaneta]], and two smaller ones near [[Tanki Leendert]] and [[Parkietenbos]], which have not yet been systematically studied. The location of Aruban villages varied. They were situated in places where beneficial agriculture land was available and where the most favourable [[Hydrology|hydrological]] conditions prevailed, such as where several ''rooi'' ([[Gully|gullies]]) came together and where relatively much water was available.<ref>Versteeg, A.H. (1991a). ''Toen woonden indianen op Aruba''. Aruba: Publications of the Archaeological Museum, no. 3.</ref><ref name=":2" />

==== Agriculture, trade, and network ====
The Caquetío people probably used a [[shifting cultivation]] farming method, also known as [[slash-and-burn]].<ref>Versteeg, A.; Ruiz, A.C. (1995). ''Reconstructing Brasil Wood Island: the archaeology and landscape of Indian Aruba''. Aruba: Publications of the Archaeological Museum, no. 6.</ref> The yields from agriculture and fishing were supplemented by engaging in trade of raw materials and artefacts that were not locally available or producible. Sixteenth century sources indicate that the Caquetíos traded in, among other things, salt, canoes, tobacco, and beads.<ref>Boerstra, E. (1982). ''De precolumbiaanse bewoners van Aruba, Curaçao en Bonaire''. Zutphen: De Walberg Pers.</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Versteeg |first=A.H. |url=https://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-HARTOG-ARUBAANSAKKOORD/mode/1up |title=Arubaans Akkoord : Opstellen over Aruba van voor de komst van de olieindustrie |publisher=Stichting Libri Antiyani |year=1997 |edition=L. Alofs, W. Rutgers en H.E. Coomans |location=Bloemendaal |pages=89–102 |trans-title=Aruban Accord: Writings about Aruba from before the arrival of the oil industry |chapter=Pre-Columbian houses at Santa Cruz site |access-date=2023-04-29 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-HARTOG-ARUBAANSAKKOORD/page/88/mode/1up |url-access=registration}}</ref> The Leeward Caquetíos certainly did not live in isolation but formed outlying regions of a dynamic chiefdom with regional trading networks.<ref name=":02" />

==== Burial practices ====
In 1882 French explorer [[Alphonse Pinart|Alphonse L. Pinart]] documented an account provided by an old Aruba Indian. According to the Indian's account, witnessed at the former Indian encampment at ''Saboneta'' ([[Savaneta]]), a native female was inhumed in one of the large conical [[olla]]s. Her body was doubled up inside the vase, with the head protruding through the orifice. Subsequently, a smaller [[urn]] was placed upside down on the head, and the entire burial was covered with earth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gatschet |first=Alb. S. |year=1885 |title=The Aruba Language and the Papiamento Jargon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/982990 |journal=Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society |volume=22 |issue=120 |pages=299–305 |jstor=982990 |issn=0003-049X}}</ref>

The Caquetío people were buried in clusters, both within and potentially outside village boundaries. At times, there was a secondary burial, possibly reserved for exceptional individuals. In the primary burial, the deceased were buried in a large pot, covered with a smaller pot placed on top. In a secondary burial, the body was initially buried without a pot, and after a few months or years, the bones were exhumed and reburied in smaller pots for a second time. Some pots contained grave offerings such as axes, shells, and pottery. The secondary burial method was practised until recently in South America. The striking similarity between the Neo-Indian burial practices in Aruba and the post-Columbian variant in Guajira justifies the assumption that the similar beliefs about life after death existed in both societies.<ref name=":02" />

==== Last indigenous Aruban ====
Nicolaas Pyclas was regarded as the last known indigenous Aruban. Pyclas spoke and understood the extinct language of the original inhabitants of Aruba, adhering to their way of life and customs. He resided in a hut in Savaneta. His diet included sea snails, such as ''cocolishi'' (''[[Cerion uva|Cerun uva]]'') and ''carco'' (''[[Aliger gigas]]''), as well as wild herbs. Pyclas rejected any involvement in religious practices. Around 1840, he was found dead hanging from a tree branch not far from his hut. Estimated to be approximately 50 years old, he was buried in situ and was not properly buried due to the hard rocky surface, he was only covered with a layer of earth and stones.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DBNL |year=1946 |title=De Caraïben door M.D. Latour O.P., Lux. Jaargang 4 |url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_lux001194601_01/_lux001194601_01_0012.php |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=DBNL |language=nl}}</ref><ref name=":05">{{Cite journal |last=Hummelinck |first=P. Wagenaar |year=1959 |title=Studies on the Physical Anthropology of the Netherlands Antilles: I: Indiaanse Skeletvondsten Op Aruba En Curaçao |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41969614 |journal=De West-Indische Gids |volume=39 |issue=2/4 |pages=77–94 |jstor=41969614 |issn=0372-7289}}</ref> Pyclas' skull was gifted to the former ''Rijks Ethnographisch Museum'', presently [[National Museum of Ethnology (Netherlands)|National Museum of Ethnology]] in Leiden, with the mediation of [[A.J. van Koolwijk]].<ref name=":05" />

=== Spanish period ===

==== Early explorations ====
It is known that [[Christopher Columbus]] was not searching for a new continent but for the shortest route to India. India had been the spearhead of European trade expansion and the foreign policy of the [[Monarchy of Spain|Spanish Crown]] since the travels of [[Marco Polo]] a century earlier. India, China, and Japan formed the focal point of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] ideas about boundless riches, cities with houses covered in gold, and islands with inexhaustible amounts of spices, pearls, and silk. The suspicion arose that India could be reached via the relatively short route to the west, across the [[Atlantic Ocean|ocean of Atlantis]].

During his third voyage to the [[New World]], Columbus was searching for the southern route to India and explored the [[Paria Peninsula]] (eastern Venezuela) and the [[Orinoco]] region, where he discovered the fresh river water of the [[Orinoco Delta]]. The suspicion arose that he had not found islands off the coast of India but a much more extensive land mass; an extension of Asia. Columbus did not realise that this was an unknown continent. Characteristic of his [[Christians|Christian]] medieval perspective, Columbus solved the puzzle by assuming that he had discovered the [[Garden of Eden|earthly paradise]]. The earthly paradise was inaccessible to humans without God's permission. Columbus experienced the geographical discovery of the New World in Christian terms and assigned himself a special role assigned by a divine power. With the discovery of the Americas the myths of the [[Golden Age]], [[Atlantis]], and the earthly paradise moved from Asia to the New World. He died on 20 May 1506, believing that he had found new islands off the coast of or possibly a peninsula of India—pre-islands: ''Ant-ilha.'' These Ant-ilhas were inhabited by peoples whom he called "Indians".<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Alofs |first=Luc |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-9789088906022 |title=Koloniale mythen en Benedenwindse feiten : Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire in inheems Atlantisch perspectief, ca. 1499–1636 |date=2018 |publisher=Leiden : Sidestone Press |isbn=978-90-8890-602-2 |pages=29–50}}</ref>

In 1500, [[Juan de la Cosa]] drew the first map of the New World, which depicted the two Leeward Antilles known at the time. This was followed by the more accurate [[Cantino planisphere|Cantino map]], created anonymously in 1502, which also showed an extensive landmass and mentioned the ''Isla do gigante'' (Island of Giants) and ''Isla'' ''do brasil'' (Island of Brasil)''.'' The location of the Isla do gigante southwest of the Isla do brasil suggest that it refers to Bonaire and Curaçao since Aruba is located more to the northwest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Khan Academy |url=https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/xa6688040:spain-portugal-15th-16th-century/xa6688040:16th-century-spain/a/the-cantino-planisphere |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=khanacademy.org |language=en}}</ref>[[File:Mapa-de-las-Antillas-(1500).jpg|thumb|Map of the Antilles, from a portion of the [[map of Juan de la Cosa]] (''1500'')]]

In 1493, the year in which the [[West Indies|West Indian islands]] became known in Europe, the division between the secular (civil) and religious authorities in the New World had to be arranged. The newly appointed Spanish [[Pope Alexander VI]] issued the ''[[Inter caetera]]'' bull, granting the Spanish Crown sovereignty over the newly discovered territories and the responsibility of the holy task: ''to send good, God-fearing men, who are earned and capable, to those islands and continents to teach the natives living there about the Catholic faith and instill in them good habits''. In exchange for the papal approval of the treaty, Spain promised to vigorously carry out missionary work in the discovered territories. This gave Spain the right to evangelise the Americas and appoint and dismiss priests, blurring the separation between church and state in the region. In other words, the Spanish Crown was granted significant religious authority in the Americas, which was not strictly separate from the state and weakened the distinction between the religious and secular spheres—a key aspect of separation between church and state.<ref name=":03" />

==== Conquistadores ====
[[Conquistador|''Conquistadores'']] were fascinated by legends of inexhaustible gold reserves of [[El Dorado]]. The conquest was characterised by bloodshed, destruction, and forced assimilation of the native peoples into European society, such as the initiation of Indian slavery by Columbus in 1492. Europeans had an advantage because they had superior weapons, such as firearms, steel swords, armour, ships, horses, and targeted military strategies. While expedition leaders mostly came from the higher echelons of late medieval society, their foot soldiers were usually from the lower middle class of southern Europe. These soldiers formed the basis of the future group of ''encomenderos.'' The [[encomienda]] system granted Spanish colonizers right by the Spanish Crown to extract tribute and labour from indigenous peoples. For example, indigenous communities had to give up a portion of the yields from their agricultural or farm land, known as ''conucos'' in [[Taíno|Taino]],{{Efn|The Papiamento word for agricultural land or farm land, "kunuku" (Aruba: cunucu), may have a Taino origin.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sijs |first1=N. van der |last2=Joubert |first2=S. |year=2020 |title=Antilliaans-Nederlandse woorden en hun herkomst |url=https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/handle/2066/227327 }}</ref>}} as a form of taxation and to provide for the food supply of the colonists. The defeated were often kidnapped and forced to participate in expeditions elsewhere in the New World as slave labourers.<ref name=":03" />

{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Vespucci first voyage.jpg
| image2            = Vespucci second voyage.jpg
| footer            = Reconstruction of the first and second voyage of Amerigo Vespucci by Luciano Formisano<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vespucci |first=Amerigo |url=http://archive.org/details/lettersfromnewwo0000vesp |title=Letters from a new world : Amerigo Vespucci's Discovery of America |date=1992 |publisher=New York : Marsilio |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-941419-62-8}}</ref>
}}

The Caquetío population of the Leeward Antilles was incorporated into the Spanish colonial empire {{Circa|1500}}. On 8 and 10 June 1501, [[Alonso de Ojeda]] acquired the exclusive right to exploit the current Venezuelan coastal area, known as [[Coquivacoa]], and the islands of the coast Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire, and probably also the Mongues and Aves Islands. De Ojeda had to form an administration as far west as possible on the ''[[Province of Tierra Firme|Tierra Firme]]'' to secure the Spanish presence. It is believed that de Ojeda and [[Amerigo Vespucci]] visited Bonaire and Curaçao, but neither Vespucci nor de Ojeda are thought to have set foot on Aruban soil. He was explicitly forbidden to enslave natives. However, de Ojeda lacked administrative skills and intentions, and he became a controversial figure. De Ojeda established a base named Santa Cruz at the tip of [[Guajira Peninsula|Guajira]], from whence he conducted trade and, probably even more importantly, carried out his raids, including slave hunts. During his third voyage to the New World in 1502, de Ojeda visited Curaçao, but his attempt to exploit the region failed. Instead, [[Bartolomé de las Casas]] documented de Ojeda's raids, slave hunts, and atrocities in the rural areas of present-day [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] in his book, {{lang|es|Historia General de las Indias}}. These raids were disastrous, even for the Spaniards, and marked the end of the first attempt to control the region.<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Alofs |first=L. |title=Koloniale mythen en Benedenwindse feiten : Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire in inheems Atlantisch perspectief, ca. 1499–1636 |year=2018 |pages=51–79 |trans-title=Colonial Myths and Leeward Realities: Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire from an Indigenous Atlantic Perspective, ca. 1499–1636 |chapter=Inheemse eilanden: een korte kennismaking |publisher=Sidestone Press |isbn=978-90-8890-602-2 |trans-chapter=Indigenous islands: a brief introduction |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-9789088906022/page/19/mode/2up}}</ref>

Between 1513 and 1515, the Leeward Antilles, including Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire, were depopulated. Captain Diego Salazar led this effort, which affected an estimated 2,000 indigenous inhabitants from these islands, and likely more from Tierra Firme.<ref name=":4" /> Most of the Caquetío were taken to [[Hispaniola]] as forced labourers. Many of them likely died on the way or later in the gold mines by the Spanish colonizers or during the devastating smallpox epidemic of 1518. Later on, new Indians migrated from the mainland to Aruba, while Indians were brought to Curaçao by [[Juan Martínez de Ampiés|Juan de Ampiés]]. The indigenous population was under encomienda, which ended the autonomy of Caquetío community in the islands. Their relatives on the mainland did not fare any better. After an unsuccessful attempt by Bartolomé de Las Casas to convert the local population to Christianity, the coastal region of the mainland was leased to the banking firm of the [[Welser family|Welsers]] in 1528.<ref>{{Citation |last=Montenegro |first=Giovanna |title=Germans in the Habsburg Empire in South America (Colonial Venezuela) |date=23 March 2022 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History |url=https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-1039?d=/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-1039&p=emailAsrcM7BiANrYE |access-date=2025-05-08 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-1039?d=/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-1039&p=emailasrcm7bianrye |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |isbn=978-0-19-936643-9}}</ref> This led to the violent conquest of the Caquetío kingdom.<ref name=":022" /> Before 1634, Curaçao, along with its neighbouring islands Bonaire and Aruba, were considered part of the province of Venezuela. They had been separated from Venezuela only during the period of the Welser grant.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Alofs |first=Luc |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-9789088906022 |title=Koloniale mythen en Benedenwindse feiten : Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire in inheems Atlantisch perspectief, ca. 1499–1636 |date=2018 |publisher=Leiden : Sidestone Press |isbn=978-90-8890-602-2 |pages=81–110}}</ref>

The appropriation of the Caribbean region turned out to be a failure for the Spaniards. The exploitation of the West Indian islands proved unprofitable, and gold mining on Hispaniola and [[Puerto Rico]] declined. Spanish settlers moved elsewhere, and in 1569, the Spanish Crown banned settlement on the Caribbean islands by royal decree. This measure that did not apply to the leased islands of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. The colonisation of the large Caribbean islands, such as [[Cuba]], was encouraged while the small islands were abandoned. Most of the islands remained largely uncontrolled and undefended, making them a potential opportunity for northwestern European countries that wanted to break Spain's monopoly on colonising the New World. England, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark explored the possibilities of piracy and trade on the Caribbean islands.<ref name=":03" />

On the continent, the great empires declined, but indigenous societies continued to exist and were exposed to a long process of [[miscegenation]]. In the Falcón-Zulia province, among other places, Caquetío societies survived on Tierra Firme, although their cultures and social structures were largely destroyed by the Spaniards. On the (former) Caquetío coastal islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and [[Trinidad]], indigenous people lived well into the colonial period. The indigenous history of the Guajira peninsula extends to the present day. The [[Wayuu people|Wayú]] are increasingly being recognised on the Leeward Antilles as possible contemporary ancestors or lost relatives from prehistoric times.<ref name=":03" />

==== Spanish ranch ====
[[File:Arikok National Park - Aruba.jpg|thumb|Goats in Arikok National Park]]
The conquistadors brought European cattle to Aruba. Over time, they also introduced goats, sheep, dogs, donkeys, cows, pigs, and possibly even cats. It is believed that rabbits, brought by the Dutch, later became wild on the island. Aruba essentially became a Spanish ranch, with cattle roaming freely in search of food. Despite more trees in the past, the overall vegetation was similar to today. The horses introduced were lighter than Dutch ones, and their hooves became so hard from roaming freely that they did not need horseshoes. To avoid stallions injuring each other during mating battles, horseshoes were impractical. After three weeks of service, particularly in the dry season, the horses were released to recover. Occasionally, a small group of Spaniards would disembark on the island, but typically Aruba was left to fend for itself. According to Dutch geographer [[Joannes de Laet]], by 1630 there were few Indians and some Spaniards on Aruba.<ref name=":0" />

===Early Dutch period===
{{See also|Cas di torto|3=}}

==== Dutch conquest: salt ====
{{Blockquote|text={{lang|nl|Al is de Sallem schoon, De Haering spant de Kroon.}} 
The salmon may be beautiful, the herring surpasses all.|multiline=yes|source=E. Az. van Dooregeest & C.A. Posjager (1699)<ref>{{Cite web |last=DBNL |title=Een korte Historie Aengaende Hollandt, Den Ryper zee-postil, bestaende in XXII. Predicatien toegepast op den zeevaert, E. Az. van Dooregeest, C.A. Posjager |page=350 |url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/door040rype01_01/door040rype01_01_0025.php |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=DBNL |language=nl}}</ref>}}
The Dutch were compelled to venture into forbidden waters of the Caribbean, known as Spain's ''[[mare clausum]],'' because of their need for salt, in open defiance of [[Philip II of Spain|Phillip II]]. Since the mid-15th century, the prosperous Dutch [[herring]] industry had been steadily expanding.<ref name=":22">{{cite book |last=Goslinga |first=Cornelis Ch. |year=1979 |title=A Short History of the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9289-4  |language=en |pages=20–25 |doi=10.1007/978-94-009-9289-4|isbn=978-90-247-2118-4 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The towns of [[Hoorn]], [[Enkhuizen]], and [[Medemblik]] were particularly active in the salt trade, thanks to their thriving fishing industries. Herring was a crucial commodity for Dutch commerce, requiring salt for preservation. Salt also played a vital role in the butter and [[List of Dutch cheeses|cheese]] industry, as well as in preserving food during long voyages.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Goslinga |first=Cornelis Christiaan |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-CARI-944_4-GOSL |title=The Dutch in the Caribbean and on the Wild Coast, 1580–1680 |date=1971 |publisher=Assen : Van Gorcum [etc.] |isbn=978-90-232-0141-0 |pages=116–140 |chapter=The Battle for Salt |url-access=registration}}</ref> The curing or pickling process for herring was well established during the Middle Ages. After catching the herring, the packers would remove the internal organs, mix them with salt to create a brine, and pack them in barrels along with additional salt.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Unger |first=Richard W. |year=1980 |title=Dutch Herring, Technology, and International Trade in the Seventeenth Century |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2120179 |journal=The Journal of Economic History |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=253–280 |doi=10.1017/S0022050700108204 |jstor=2120179 |s2cid=154052293 |issn=0022-0507|url-access=subscription }}</ref> While [[Zeeland]] was not heavily involved in fishing, they were renowned for their salt whitening process, which was highly sought after throughout Europe.<ref name=":12" />

Salt importation began in the 15th century when the Dutch obtained high-quality salt in [[Setúbal]] the [[Portugal]] coast. This sea salt was good for preserving herring because of its [[magnesium sulfate]] and [[magnesium chloride]] content. However, the [[Eighty Years' War]] prompted Phillip II to halt this trade.<ref name=":22" /> With the salt supply cut off, the Dutch were forced to seek new trade routes. Their quest for salt led them to the West Indies.<ref name=":12" /> Seeking alternative sources, they turned their attention to Punta de Araya in Tierra Firme by the 17th century.<ref name=":22" /> The salt reserves in Punta de Araya were abundant and of high quality, surpassing that of the Iberian peninsula. Rather than being a rock salt deposit, it was a gem salt derived from the clay of the surrounding hills.<ref name=":12" /> However, following the [[Twelve Years' Truce|Truce of twelve years]], the Dutch discovered that the Spaniards had fortified the saltpans, forcing them to give up their stake in Araya salt.<ref name=":22" />

After hostilities resumed, the Dutch established the [[Dutch West India Company|West India Company]] (WIC) with the main objective of engaging in strategic military actions and [[privateer]]ing organisation against Spain. This was the {{lang|fr|raison d'être|italic=yes}} or reason for the existence of the WIC. Their secondary objective was focused on commerce and colonisation, a choice that ultimately led to the downfall of the WIC in 1674. The WIC also gathered information on Spanish treasure fleets. In 1623, the first official fleet of the new WIC, a small squadron of only three ships commanded by Pieter Schouten, set sail for the Caribbean to engage in looting and plundering in the Lesser Antilles and the Yucátan peninsula. It was during this voyage that the [[Hooiberg#History|Dutch first encountered Aruba]].<ref name=":22" />

Around 1628 or 1629, the Dutch started obtaining salt regularly on [[Tortuga (Haiti)|Tortuga]]. Governor [[Francisco Núñez Melián]] of Venezuela destroyed the saltpans and took some Dutch prisoners, forced them to cut [[Paubrasilia|Brazilwood]] in Curaçao. One of these Dutchmen, Jan Janszoon Otzen, carefully assessed the island's excellent harbour and profitable saltpans, which he later communicated to the WIC. Recognizing their struggle for salt, the Dutch realised the need to establish a base in these waters to secure Curaçao. WIC agent [[Johannes van Walbeeck]] was appointed as the expedition's commander and future Governor of Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba. Curaçao was captured and acquired by the WIC in June 1634, primarily by their desire to obtain salt. In Van Walbeeck's report of 1634, Aruba is mentioned only in relation to Curaçao, where he refers to Bonaire and Aruba collectively as the "islands of Curaçao".<ref name=":22" /> The Dutch from Curaçao occupied Aruba and Bonaire in 1636.<ref>Jan Rogozinski, A Brief History of the Caribbean, 1999, p65</ref>

By 1816, Aruba possessed seven salt pans, all of which yielded salt of subpar quality. The salt production was just sufficient to meet the local demand. Aruban labourers, often assisted by donkeys, were tasked with gathering the salt, which was subsequently distributed among the island's inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=De Hullu |first=J. |year=1923 |title=Aruba in 1816 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41845847 |journal=De West-Indische Gids |volume=5 |pages=371–382 |jstor=41845847 |issn=0372-7289}}</ref> Around 1924, salt extraction at [[Rancho, Aruba|Rancho]] had limited benefits, primarily being used in the preservation of fish during shipping.<ref>{{Citation |last=Fraters van Tilburg |title=Ranchoe. Zoutwinning. Er is weinig aan verdiend. Het zout wordt gebruikt bij de verzending van vis |year=1924 |url=http://archive.org/details/STADSMUSEUMTILBURG-FRATERS-404472 |access-date=2023-10-06 |language=Dutch}}</ref> [[Paardenbaai]] (Horses' Bay) contained salt pans up until 1949 when it was dredged and disappeared beneath the sand.<ref name=":0" />

==== New Netherland ====
Between the [[Peace of Westphalia]] in 1648 and the [[Treaties of Nijmegen|Peace of Nijmegen]] in 1678, there were 30 years of crisis in the Dutch Antilles and the entire Caribbean region. By 1648, Curaçao had lost its importance as a military outpost. Governor [[Peter Stuyvesant]] had a plan to strengthen the connections between the islands and [[New Netherland]]. He believed that the two colonies could support each other: New Netherland would provide food in exchange for slaves from Curaçao, horses from Aruba, and salt from Bonaire.<ref name=":04">{{cite book |last=Goslinga |first=Cornelis Ch. |year=1979 |title=A Short History of the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9289-4  |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-009-9289-4|isbn=978-90-247-2118-4 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> But Stuyvesant did not anticipate the rivalry between the two colonies, which prevented them from working together effectively. The Dutch in Curaçao preferred to sell their goods to other Caribbean islands where they could get a better price, rather than trading with their fellow countrymen in New Netherland. Additionally, the islands were involved in illegal trade with the Spanish mainland and did not want to switch to legal trade with New Netherland. Stuyvesant needed slaves to strengthen [[New Amsterdam]]'s defences, but he mostly received old or sick slaves, called ''mancarrons'', in response to his requests. The better slaves were sold elsewhere to the highest bidder. However, the people in New Netherland were not motivated by unselfish reasons or a strong sense of patriotism. They continued to trade with their French, English, and Swedish neighbours across the border. Only in extreme situations did their shared heritage become more important than making money. For example, when the islands faced famine due to a series of dry seasons, Stuyvesant came to the rescue by sending a ship with food just in time.<ref name=":04" />

The troubled relationship between the Curaçao islands and New Netherland came to a sudden end in 1664. At that time, even though a war between England and the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]] had not been officially declared, an English fleet led by [[Richard Nicolls]] demanded that New Amsterdam surrender. While the Dutch briefly regained control of the colony in 1673, it was once again used as leverage in 1674 to show the English the dangers of their alliance with France.<ref name=":04" /> During the 17th century, the Dutch considered England their main adversary, as evidenced by the three wars they fought against the English. The [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]] and the subsequent peace treaty in 1667 marked a pivotal moment in Caribbean colonial possessions. [[Dutch Golden Age|Dutch supremacy]] waned, and the enforcement of English [[Navigation Acts]] left a lasting impact on regional trade. Nevertheless, the Caribbean islands eventually regained stability and prosperity, experiencing fewer changes in colonial holdings for centuries to come.<ref name=":04" />

=== Slavery ===
{{See also|Virginia Demetricia}}
In the 16th century, Spaniards engaged in coercive labour practices, deporting Arawak Indians to Hispaniola in 1515. Colonists exerted control over Indians on the "useless islands", mirroring the hardships of these faced by subsequent African slaves, marked by a denial of freedom and forced labour.{{Sfn|Alofs|1995|p=1}} After 1775 the names of African slaves began appearing in records, with examples such as "Cecilia" and "Apolinar" tied to families like Silvester and Alvarez from [[Alto Vista Chapel|Alto Vista]] near the coast.{{Sfn|Nooyen|1965|p=34-35}}

The Dutch coloniser recognized red slavery, particularly of Indians captured in wars. In the [[Guyanas]], Indians taken as prisoners in conflicts were traded, even following peace treaties. Though Indians on Aruba were not officially classified as slaves during the West India Company's rule, oral tradition in Aruba mentioned Amerindian slaves in the early 20th century.{{Sfn|Alofs|1995|p=2}} Father {{Interlanguage link|Paul Brenneker|lt=Paul Brenneker|nl|Paul Brenneker}} noted their presence in Curaçao as pseudo-slaves.{{Sfn|Brenneker|1986|p=87}} In 1827, Commander Simon Plats found 51 Amerindians treated as pseudo-slaves by Aruban families. Some were brought by shipowners involved in the slave trade. Plats had masters sign a declaration recognising the freedom of the Amerindians, ensuring proper upbringing, education, and accommodation.{{Sfn|Alofs|1995|p=3}}

Contrary to common belief, Aruba had a history of slavery, challenging the notion that conditions were considerably better than in other Caribbean regions. Records are limited, with mentions primarily concerning Curaçao in 1750 and 1795. Aruba's circumstances surrounding slavery were comparatively less severe, leading to misconceptions that indigenous people were not enslaved. However, by 1862, 15 per cent of Aruba's population were slaves, with 27 per cent in Bonaire.{{Sfn|Nooyen|1965|p=34-35}} A ''Population Report'' from 1820 indicates 331 slaves in Aruba—157 indigenous people and 174 of African descent. In 1840, the number increased to 497 slaves, with 269 being indigenous people and 228 of African descent. Approximately, half of Aruba's slaves were of indigenous origin, and the other half were of African descent. Although Dutch law generally prohibited the enslavement of indigenous people, the actual practice varied.{{Sfn|Nooyen|1965|p=34-35}}

==== English interregnum and economic development ====
[[File:BNA-DIG-HARTOG-CAHA-001-014-014.jpg|thumb|Machinery for the 'cooking' of aloe (1903)]]
The [[British Empire]] took control of the island during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] holding it from 1806 to 1816, after which it was returned to Dutch authority in accordance with the [[Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814]].<ref name="historiadiaruba1">{{cite web |title=Historia di Aruba |url=http://www.historiadiaruba.aw/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621105425/http://www.historiadiaruba.aw/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 |archive-date=21 June 2013 |access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="Britannica"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/aruba.htm|title=British Empire: Caribbean: Aruba|access-date=14 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508162117/http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/aruba.htm|archive-date=8 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="aruba2">{{cite web |title=Aruba History |url=https://www.aruba.com/us/our-island/history-and-culture/history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728181637/https://www.aruba.com/us/our-island/history-and-culture/history |archive-date=28 July 2019 |access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref> Aruba was then integrated into the [[Colony of Curaçao and Dependencies]], along with Bonaire. Throughout the 19th century, the island's economy evolved, centered around gold, phosphate ([[Aruba Phosphate Company]]), and the aloe vera industry ([[Royal Aruba Aloe]]), However, despite these economic activities, Aruba continued to be a relatively underdeveloped and economically disadvantaged region during this period.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/>

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Prinses Beatrix op bezoek op Aruba Aankomst bij bestuurskantoor voor aubade, Bestanddeelnr 909-3484.jpg|thumb|[[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Princess Beatrix]] in Aruba, 1958]]

The first oil refinery, [[Lago Oil and Transport Company]], in [[San Nicolaas|San Nicolas]] was built in 1924 and a subsidiary of [[Standard Oil]]. The refinery on Aruba grew to become one of the largest in the world.<ref name="historiadiaruba1" /> In 1927, the [[Arend Petroleum Company]] was established to the west of Oranjestad. The refineries processed crude oil from the vast Venezuelan oil fields, bringing greater prosperity to the island.<ref>Albert Gastmann, "Suriname and the Dutch in the Caribbean" in ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture'', vol. 5, p. 189. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996.</ref>

During World War II, the Netherlands was [[German occupation of the Netherlands|occupied by Nazi Germany]]. In 1940, the oil facilities in Aruba came under the administration of the [[Dutch government-in-exile]] in London, causing them to be [[attack on Aruba|attacked by the German navy]] in 1942.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/><ref>''Central American and Caribbean Air Forces'', Daniel Hagedorn, Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., Tonbridge, 1993, p.135, {{ISBN|0 85130 210 6}}</ref>

In August 1947, Aruba formulated its first ''staatsreglement'' (constitution) for Aruba's ''[[Independence|status aparte]]'' as an autonomous state within the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]], prompted by the efforts of [[Henny Eman (AVP founder)|Henny Eman]], a noted Aruban politician. By 1954, the [[Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands]] was established, providing a framework for relations between Aruba and the rest of the kingdom.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Robbers|first=Gerhard|title=Encyclopedia of World Constitutions|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|volume=1|year=2007|location=New York City|page=649|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M3A-xgf1yM4C&pg=PA649|isbn=978-0-8160-6078-8|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423233225/https://books.google.com/books?id=M3A-xgf1yM4C&lpg=PA649|archive-date=23 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> That created the [[Netherlands Antilles]], which united all of the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean into one administrative structure.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11511355 |title=Status change means Dutch Antilles no longer exists |date=10 October 2010 |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC |access-date=11 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011042955/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11511355 |archive-date=11 October 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Many Arubans were unhappy with the arrangement, however, as the policy was perceived as being dominated by Curaçao.<ref name="Britannica"/>

[[File:Betico Croes 1982cr.jpg|thumb|right|175px|[[Betico Croes]], a pivotal figure in Aruba's drive for greater autonomy in the 1970s–80s]]

In 1972, at a conference in [[Suriname]], Aruban politician [[Betico Croes]] proposed the creation of a Dutch Commonwealth of four states: Aruba, the Netherlands, Suriname, and the [[Netherlands Antilles]], each to have its own nationality. Backed by his newly created party, the [[People's Electoral Movement (Aruba)|Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo]], Croes sought greater autonomy for Aruba, with the long-term goal of independence, adopting the trappings of an independent state in 1976 with the creation of a flag and national anthem.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/> In March 1977, a [[1977 Aruban independence referendum|referendum was held]] with the support of the United Nations. 82% of the participants voted for complete independence from the Netherlands.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/><ref name="BBC Aruba Profile">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20211986 |title=BBC News&nbsp;— Aruba profile&nbsp;— Timeline |publisher=BBC |date=5 November 2013 |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830102036/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20211986 |archive-date=30 August 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tensions mounted as Croes stepped up the pressure on the Dutch government by organising [[1977 Aruba general strike|a general strike in 1977]].<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/> Croes later met with Dutch Prime Minister [[Joop den Uyl]], with the two sides agreeing to assign the Institute of Social Studies in [[The Hague]] to prepare a study for independence, entitled ''Aruba en Onafhankelijkheid, achtergronden, modaliteiten, en mogelijkheden; een rapport in eerste aanleg'' (Aruba and independence, backgrounds, modalities, and opportunities; a preliminary report) (1978).<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/>

=== Autonomy ===
In March 1983 Aruba reached an official agreement within the kingdom for its independence, to be developed in a series of steps as the Crown granted increasing autonomy. In August 1985, Aruba drafted a constitution that was unanimously approved. On 1 January 1986, after the [[1985 Aruban general election|1985 general election]] was held for its first parliament, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles, officially becoming a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with full independence planned for 1996.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/> Croes was seriously injured in a traffic accident in 1985, slipping into a coma. He died in 1986, never seeing the enacting of ''status aparte'' for Aruba for which he had worked over many years.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/> After his death, Croes was proclaimed ''Libertador di Aruba''.<ref name="historiadiaruba1" /> Croes' successor, [[Henny Eman]] of the [[Aruban People's Party]] became the first [[Prime Minister of Aruba]].

Meanwhile, in 1985, Aruba's oil refinery closed. It had provided Aruba with 30 per cent of its real income and 50 per cent of government revenue.<ref>{{cite news |last1=de Cordoba |first1=Jose |title=Aruba Braces for Loss of Refinery |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1984/12/23/aruba-braces-for-loss-of-refinery/e311cca4-3330-4c01-b4d0-65f35524cdf9/ |access-date=2021-08-16 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 December 1984}}</ref> The significant blow to the economy led to a push for a dramatic increase in tourism, and that sector has expanded to become the island's largest industry.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/> At a convention in The Hague in 1990, at the request of Prime Minister [[Nelson Oduber]], the governments of Aruba, the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Antilles postponed indefinitely Aruba's transition to full independence.<ref name="historiadiaruba1"/> The article scheduling Aruba's complete independence was rescinded in 1995, although it was decided that the process could be revived after another referendum.

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Aruba|Geology of Aruba}}
[[File:Geological map of Aruba.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Geological map of Aruba]]
Aruba is located 77&nbsp;km (48&nbsp;mi) west of [[Curaçao]] and 29&nbsp;km (18&nbsp;mi) north of [[Paraguaná Peninsula]] of [[Venezuela]].<ref name="Britannica"/> Aruba showcases three distinct landscapes. The northwestern region is primarily characterised by flat [[batholith]] landscapes. Notable landmarks include the conical [[Hooiberg]] hill and rock formations like [[Ayo Rock Formations|Ayo]] and [[Casibari Rock Formations|Casibari]]. Moreover, the northeastern part of the island features the oldest formations known as the [[Jamanota#Aruba Lava Formation|Aruba Lava Formation]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=White |first1=R. V |last2=Tarney |first2=J |last3=Kerr |first3=A. C |last4=Saunders |first4=A. D |last5=Kempton |first5=P. D |last6=Pringle |first6=M. S |last7=Klaver |first7=G. T |date=1 January 1999 |title=Modification of an oceanic plateau, Aruba, Dutch Caribbean: Implications for the generation of continental crust |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024493798000619 |journal=Lithos |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=43–68 |doi=10.1016/S0024-4937(98)00061-9 |bibcode=1999Litho..46...43W |issn=0024-4937|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This region is marked by rolling hills, including [[Jamanota]], and is home to Arikok National Park, and [[limestone]] terraces surround these two landscapes. The low-lying limestone terrace regions are defined by their white sandy beaches and the high plateaus on the north side of the island, in contrast, are constantly battered by the rough waters of the ocean, featuring caves and small natural bridge formations.

The arid landscape in Aruba is not solely a product of its climate but is also a consequence of extensive deforestation and exploitation during the Spanish colonisation of the island.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek Aruba |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-RAPPORT-CBS-LANDSCAPE-2016-LS-02 |title=The history of resource exploitation in Aruba : Landscape series 2 |last2=Derix |first2=Ruud |date=2016 |publisher=Oranjestad: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek}}</ref> Consequently, certain crops, such as [[aloe vera]], thrive in this environment due to the high calcium-rich soil known as liming.<ref name=":0" /> As of 2022, Aruba only has 2.3% of forest-covered land area and only 0.5% of protected natural area.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Eppinga |first1=Maarten B. |last2=Mijts |first2=Eric N. |last3=Santos |first3=Maria J. |date=1 July 2022 |title=Ranking the sustainable development goals: perceived sustainability priorities in small island states |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01100-7 |journal=Sustainability Science |language=en |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=1537–1556 |doi=10.1007/s11625-022-01100-7 |bibcode=2022SuSc...17.1537E |s2cid=246683341 |issn=1862-4057|hdl=1854/LU-8741920 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The Aruba Conservation Foundation, established in 2003, oversees the management of the conservation of 16 established protected areas, which encompass a total of nearly 25% of the island's surface, as well as four [[Marine protected area]]s (MPAs)<ref>ACF, Aruba Conservation Foundation. est. 2003. vis. 2025. https://acf.aw/nature-conservation</ref> The [[Arikok National Park]], established as formal conservation land in 2000, covers 20% of the island.<ref>This Rare Earth. vis. 2025 https://thisrareearth.com/arikok-national-park-aruba/</ref> [[Forest cover]] is around 2% of the total land area, equivalent to 420 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990. None of the forest was reported to be [[primary forest]] (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity), and no forest area was found within protected areas.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Aruba |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/ABW/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref>

The geography includes naturally formed ''rooi'' or gullies that channel rainwater towards dams and ultimately the ocean. Other than Arikok National Park, the [[Bubali Bird Sanctuary]] is the only significant body of water on the island that holds the status of protected nature reserve and serves as a [[brackish water]] lagoon.

=== Regions ===
Aruba is divided into eight regions for census purposes, with no administrative function. Some correspond to parishes and include several community facilities.
[[File:Aruba Regions.jpg|thumb|Regions of Aruba]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-bottom: 0;"
|-
! Name !! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! Population <br /> 1991 census !! Population <br /> 2000 census !! Population <br /> 2010 census !! Population <br /> 2020 census
|-
| [[Noord]] || {{formatnum: 34.62}} || {{formatnum: 10056}} || {{formatnum: 16944}} || {{formatnum: 21495}} || {{formatnum: 24193}}
|-
| [[Oranjestad West]] || {{formatnum: 9.29}} || {{formatnum: 8779}} || {{formatnum: 12131}} || {{formatnum: 13976}} || {{formatnum: 13735}}
|-
| Oranjestad Oost || {{formatnum: 12.88}} || {{formatnum: 11266}} || {{formatnum: 14224}} || {{formatnum: 14318}} || {{formatnum: 14923}}
|-
| [[Paradera Region|Paradera]] || {{formatnum: 20.49}} || {{formatnum: 6189}} || {{formatnum: 9037}} || {{formatnum: 12024}} || {{formatnum: 13834}}
|-
| San Nicolaas Noord || {{formatnum: 23.19}} || {{formatnum: 8206}} || {{formatnum: 10118}} || {{formatnum: 10433}} || {{formatnum: 9940}}
|-
| San Nicolaas Zuid || {{formatnum: 9.64}} || {{formatnum: 5304}} || {{formatnum: 5730}} || {{formatnum: 4850}} || {{formatnum: 4235}}
|-
| [[Santa Cruz Region|Santa Cruz]] || {{formatnum: 41.04}} || {{formatnum: 9587}} || {{formatnum: 12326}} || {{formatnum: 12870}} || {{formatnum: 15236}}
|-
| [[Savaneta Region|Savaneta]] || {{formatnum: 27.76}} || {{formatnum: 7273}} || {{formatnum: 9996}} || {{formatnum: 11518}} || {{formatnum: 11955}}
|-
| '''Total Aruba''' || '''{{formatnum: 178.91}}''' || '''{{formatnum: 66687}}''' || '''{{formatnum: 90506}}''' || '''{{formatnum: 101484}}''' || '''{{formatnum: 108166}}'''
|}

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Arikok NP.jpg| thumb| Cacti on the rolling hills of [[Arikok National Park]]]]
The landscape is characterised by common [[Deserts and xeric shrublands|xeric scrublands]] featuring various [[cacti]], thorny shrubs, and evergreen plants.<ref name="Britannica"/> Notably, aloe vera is also found on the island, and its economic significance has led to its inclusion on the [[coat of arms of Aruba]]. Cacti include ''[[Melocactus]] and'' ''[[Opuntia]]'', with ''[[Opuntia stricta]]'' being prominent. Drought-tolerant trees like ''[[Caesalpinia coriaria]]'' and ''[[Vachellia tortuosa]]'' are present. The isolation from the South America mainland contributed to the evolution of multiple [[Endemism|endemic species]]. The island provides a habitat for unique wildlife, including the endemic [[Cnemidophorus arubensis|Aruban whiptail]], [[Crotalus unicolor|Aruba rattlesnake]], as well as subspecies of [[Aruban burrowing owl]] and [[Eupsittula pertinax|Brown-throated parakeet]].

===Climate and natural hazards===
{{main|Climate of Aruba}}
{{Climate chart|Aruba|24.8|30.3|44.0|24.8|30.6|19.5|25.3|31.1|10.0|26.0|31.9|8.6|26.7|32.0|14.1|26.9|32.5|17.4|26.7|32.4|19.6|27.2|33.2|31.4|27.3|33.2|42.9|26.7|32.4|76.5|26.0|31.5|87.1|25.3|30.7|80.1|units=metric|float=right|clear=both}}
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Aruba is characterised by a [[hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BSh''),<ref name=extremes>{{cite web |url= http://www.meteo.aw/climate.php|publisher= Departamento Meteorologico Aruba |title= Climate Data Aruba |access-date= 15 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121014042548/http://www.meteo.aw/climate.php |archive-date= 14 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> characterised by limited rainfall, totalling just {{convert|500|mm|in|0|disp=or}} annually. Notably, Aruba remains dry even during its supposed rainy season. Rainfall can be highly variable,<ref>Dewar, Robert E. and Wallis, James R; 'Geographical patterning in interannual rainfall variability in the tropics and near tropics: An L-moments approach'; in ''[[Journal of Climate]]'', 12; pp. 3457–3466</ref> ranging from as little as {{convert|150|mm|in|0|disp=or}} during strong [[El Niño]] years (e.g. 1911/1912, 1930/1931, 1982/1983, 1997/1998) to over {{convert|1000|mm|in|0|disp=or}} in [[La Niña]] years, such as 1933/1934, 1970/1971 or 1988/1989.

An exception to the general aridity is observed during the short rainy season from September to January. During this period, the southward retreat of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]] leads to more frequent moist northeasterly winds. Aruba is positioned south of the [[Main Development Region]] for [[tropical cyclone]]s<ref name="autogenerated2" /> and generally avoids the direct impact of these storms. However, late in the [[2020 Atlantic hurricane season]], the island was affected by two hurricanes in their early stages.

In Oranjestad, mean monthly temperatures remain consistently moderate, with little variation (low [[diurnal temperature variation]]) ranging from {{convert|27.0|°C|1}} to {{convert|29.6|C}}. This temperature stability is moderated by the constant [[trade winds]] originating from the northeast, sweeping in from the Atlantic Ocean.

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Aruba}}

{{bar box
|title=National origins<ref name="cia.gov"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Nationality
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars= 
{{bar percent|Aruban|Blue|66}}
{{bar percent|Colombian|Orange|9.1}}
{{bar percent|Other|Grey|6.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Dutch people|Dutch]]|black|4.3}}
{{bar percent|[[People of the Dominican Republic|Dominican]]|Yellow|4.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Venezuelans|Venezuelan]]|Green|3.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Curaçaoans|Curaçaoan]]|Orange|2.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Haitians|Haitian]]|Purple|1.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Surinamese people|Surinamese]]|Red|1.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Peruvians|Peruvian]]|Pink|1.1}}
{{bar percent|Chinese|White|1.1}}
}}
In terms of country of birth, the population is estimated to be 66% Aruban, 9.1% Colombian, 4.3% [[Dutch people|Dutch]], 5.1% [[People of the Dominican Republic|Dominican]], 3.2% [[Venezuelans|Venezuelan]], 2.2% [[Curaçaoans|Curaçaoan]], 1.5% [[Haitians|Haitian]], 1.2% [[Surinamese people|Surinamese]], 1.1% [[Peruvians|Peruvian]], 1.1% Chinese, 6.2% from other backgrounds.<ref name="cia.gov"/> In terms of nationality, the population is estimated to be 78.7% [[Dutch people|Dutch]], 6.6% Colombian, 5.5% [[Venezuelans|Venezuelan]], 2.8% [[People of the Dominican Republic|Dominican]]; 1.3% [[Haitians|Haitian]], and 5.1% from other backgrounds ({{As of|2020}}).<ref>{{Citation |title=Aruba |date=29 August 2023 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/aruba/#people-and-society |work=The World Factbook |access-date=2023-09-13 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref> In 2019, recently arrived [[Venezuelan refugee crisis|Venezuelan refugees]] were estimated to number around 17,000 on Aruba, accounting for some 15% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aruba |url=https://hias.org/where/aruba/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=HIAS |language=en-US}}</ref>

The majority of Aruba's population is of [[Multiracial people|mixed]] ancestry, including [[Ethnic groups in Europe|European]], [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Amerindian]] and [[List of ethnic groups of Africa|African]] roots.<ref>{{Cite web |title=People of Aruba – Facts about the locals |url=https://www.aruba.com/uk/our-island/history-and-culture/the-people-of-aruba |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=aruba.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> Various minorities of other origins (such as [[Asian people|Asian]]) and over 140 [[Nationality|nationalities]] also reside on the island.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 September 2022 |title=A multicultural society – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/09/21/country-of-birth-and-nationality/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Foreign born population of Aruba – CBS Aruba (2010) |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/The-foreign-born-population-of-Aruba.pdf}}</ref> Aruba's population has strong [[Arawak]] heritage compared to most Caribbean islands. Although there are no full-blooded [[Native American (Americas)|Aboriginals]] remaining, the features of many islanders' clearly reflect their genetic Arawak heritage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255649566|title=Mitochondrial DNA Analysis in Aruba}}</ref> Aruba's population is primarily descended from Caquetío Indians, Dutch settlers, Spanish settlers, enslaved Africans and to a lesser extent various other groups who have settled on Aruba over time, including Venezuelans, Colombians, Dominicans, Portuguese, Greeks, Italians, English, French, Germans, West Indians, Indo-Caribbeans, Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, Javanese, Levantine Arabs and Sephardic Jews.

{{Multiple image
| image1            = Total-population 1972-2022-(Aruba).jpg
| caption1          = 
| align             = right
| image2            = Natural-growth-of-the-population-and-migration-1972-2022-(Aruba).jpg
| caption2          = 
| total_width       = 400
| footer            = In Aruba, population development is primarily influenced by net migration due to the relatively low number of births and deaths (1972–2022). ''<small>Source: [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Aruba)|Central Bureau of Statistics]], and Civil Registry and Population Office.</small>''<ref name="cbs.aw">{{Cite web |date=24 November 2022 |title=The development of the population of Aruba – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/11/24/test-births/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |language=en-US}}</ref>
}}

The population experienced fluctuations between 1972 and 2022, primarily influenced by net migration. While there have been periods of significant growth, there have also been declines, especially during economic challenges. Notably, between 1988 and 2016, the population nearly doubled.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2022 |title=The development of the population of Aruba – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/11/24/test-births/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> However, in 2017, a decline occurred, breaking almost three decades of continuous growth. The first three years of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) also contributed to a population decrease, mainly due to reduced births and emigration.

As of the 1st quarter in 2025, the population stood at 108,880 people, marking a modest 0.4% growth compared to the previous year.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> This increase was driven by a significant rise in immigration, which saw a 20.4 per cent uptick.<ref name="cbs.aw">{{Cite web |date=24 November 2022 |title=The development of the population of Aruba – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/11/24/test-births/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Language===
{{main|Languages of Aruba|Caquetío language|List of newspapers in Aruba}}
{{bar box
|title=Primary Language of Arubans
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Languages
|right1=percent
|float=right
|caption=Housing census 2010<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 July 2012 |title=Census 2010 – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2012/07/06/census-2010/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|bars=
{{bar percent|Papiamento|darkgreen|63.3}}
{{bar percent|Dutch|black|15}}
{{bar percent|Spanish|purple|11.5}}
{{bar percent|English|red|5}}
{{bar percent|Chinese|orange|1.4}}
{{bar percent|None|darkblue|1.5}}{{bar percent|Other|green|1.7}}
{{bar percent|Not Stated|maroon|0.4}}
}}Aruba is a [[Multilingualism|multilingual]] society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language and education in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300471435 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250320070900/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300471435_Language_and_education_in_Aruba_Bonaire_and_Curacao |archive-date=20 March 2025 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=ResearchGate |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The official languages are [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[Papiamento]]. While Dutch is the sole language for all administration and legal matters,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dutchcaribbeanlegalportal.com/about-us/the-dutch-caribbean |title=About Us |website=DutchCaribbeanLegalPortal.com |access-date=20 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620052254/http://www.dutchcaribbeanlegalportal.com/about-us/the-dutch-caribbean |archive-date=20 June 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Papiamento is the predominant language used in Aruba.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2013 |title=Language – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/tag/language/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |language=en-US}}</ref> Papiamento is a [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]/Spanish based [[creole language]], spoken on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao that also incorporates words from the [[Caquetío language|Caquetío]] language, Dutch, various [[Niger–Congo languages|West-African languages]] and English.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aruba, Our History and Culture |url=https://www.aruba.com/us/our-island/history-and-culture/papiamento}}</ref> English and Spanish are also widely spoken on the island, their usage having grown due to tourism and immigration.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="autogenerated2"/> Other common languages spoken, based on the size of their community, include [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], Chinese, French and German.

In recent years, the government has shown an increased interest in acknowledging the cultural and historical importance of Papiamento. Although spoken Papiamento is fairly similar among the several Papiamento-speaking islands, the [[Papiamento orthography|orthography differs per island]], with Aruba using etymological spelling (Papiamento), and Curaçao and Bonaire a phonetic spelling (Papiamentu).

The book ''[[History of the Buccaneers of America|Buccaneers of America]]'', first published in 1678, states through eyewitness account that the natives on Aruba spoke Spanish already.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Aruba in Timeline – Popular Timelines|url=https://populartimelines.com/t/690/Aruba|website=populartimelines.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref> Spanish became an important language in the 18th century due to the close economic ties with Spanish colonies in what are now Venezuela and Colombia.<ref>Dede pikiña ku su bisiña: Papiamentu-Nederlands en de onverwerkt verleden tijd. van Putte, Florimon., 1999. Zutphen: de Walburg Pers</ref> Venezuelan TV networks are received on the island, and there are significant communities of Venezuelans and Colombians on Aruba.<ref name=CIAFactBook>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/aruba/#people-and-society|website=CIA.gov/the-world-factbook|title=Aruba-People and Society|year=2022|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=21 October 2022}}</ref> Around 13% of the population today speaks Spanish natively.<ref name=cia>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Aruba|access-date=6 June 2011}}</ref> Use of English dates to the early 19th century, when the British ruled Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. When Dutch rule resumed in 1815, officials already noted wide use of the language.<ref name="Putte">''Dede pikiña ku su bisiña: Papiamentu-Nederlands en de onverwerkt verleden tijd''. van Putte, Florimon., 1999. Zutphen: de Walburg Pers</ref> There is also a little studied native variety of [[English Creole]] spoken in [[San Nicolaas]], known as [[San Nicolaas English]], Sani English and Village Talk.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.academia.edu/26789758 | title=The English Creole of Aruba: A Community-Based Description of the San Nicolas Variety | last1=Devonish | first1=Hubert | last2=Richardson | first2=Gregory }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/93906748/complete%20dissertation.pdf}}</ref>

Aruba has newspapers published in Papiamento: ''[[Diario (Aruba)|Diario]]'', ''Bon Dia'', ''Solo di Pueblo'', and ''Awe Mainta''; English: ''Aruba Daily'', ''Aruba Today'', and ''The News''; and Dutch: ''[[Amigoe]]''. There are 18 radio stations (two AM and sixteen FM) and two local television stations ([[Telearuba]] and Channel 22).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aruba – arubanoasis|url=http://www.arubanoasis.com/about/aruba|website=arubanoasis.com|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726100325/http://www.arubanoasis.com/about/aruba|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{bar box
|title=Religions of Aruba<ref name="cia.gov"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religions
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Roman Catholic]]|DodgerBlue|75.3}}
{{bar percent|None|Black|5.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|SkyBlue|4.9}}
{{bar percent| Other |pink|4.4}}
{{bar percent|[[Jehovah's Witness]]|teal|1.7}}
{{bar percent|Unspecified|LightGrey|0.5}}
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[[Roman Catholicism]] is the dominant religion on Aruba, followed by approximately 75% of the population.<ref name="cia.gov"/><ref name="autogenerated2"/> In addition to Catholicism, there is a diverse range of religions practised<ref name="autogenerated2"/><ref name="Britannica"/> including [[Protestantism]], [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]], [[Judaism]], and [[African diaspora religions]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Practiced religions in Aruba – Churches, Temples & Holy Places {{!}} Aruba.com |url=https://www.aruba.com/us/our-island/history-and-culture/religion |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=www.aruba.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

The [[Lourdes grotto]], named after the famous French religious pilgrimage site, was constructed in 1958 by a priest named Erkamp and his parishioners. This shrine is nestled into the rocks of [[Seroe Preto]], just off the main road to San Nicolas. Inside the cave, there is a {{Convert|700|kg|lb}} statue of the Virgin Mary, easily visible from the main road. Each year, on 11 February (the feast of [[Our Lady of Lourdes|Lady Lourdes]]), a procession departs from [[St. Theresita Church]] in San Nicolas and heads to the [[grotto]], where a [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] is held.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lourdes Grotto Aruba – Rooms-Katholiek Schrijn in de Rotsen |url=https://www.aruba.com/nl/ontdek/lourdes-grot |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=aruba.com |language=nl}}</ref>

==Government==
{{main|Politics of Aruba}}
[[File:Parliament of Aruba.jpg|thumb|Parliament of Aruba in [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]]]

Along with the Netherlands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, Aruba is a [[Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|constituent country]] of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]], with internal autonomy.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> Matters such as foreign affairs and defence are handled by the Netherlands.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> Aruba's politics take place within a framework of a 21-member [[Parliament of Aruba|Staten]] (Parliament) and an eight-member Cabinet; the Staten's 21 members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve a four-year term.<ref name="Britannica" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arubaforeignaffairs.com/afa/readBlob.do?id=694|title=Political Stability|access-date=7 June 2011|publisher=Aruba Department of Foreign Affairs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325025240/http://www.arubaforeignaffairs.com/afa/readBlob.do?id=694|archive-date=25 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[governor of Aruba]] is appointed for a six-year term by the [[Monarch of the Netherlands|monarch]], and the [[Prime Minister of Aruba|prime minister]] and deputy prime minister are indirectly elected by the Staten for four-year terms.<ref name="autogenerated2" />[[File:EU OCT and OMR map en.png|thumb|Map of the European Union in the world with [[Special member state territories and the European Union|overseas countries and territories and outermost regions]]]]

===Politics===
The legal system is based on the [[Politics of the Netherlands|Dutch model]]. Legal jurisdiction lies with the ''Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg'' ([[Court of First Instance]]), the ''Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie van Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, en van Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba'' ([[Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba]]) and the ''[[Hoge Raad der Nederlanden]]'' (Supreme Court of Justice of the Netherlands).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aruba.com/us/things-to-do|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215045034/http://www.aruba.com/ExploretheIsland/IslandFacts/law.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Best Things to do in Aruba |archive-date=15 February 2013|website=aruba.com}}</ref> The ''Korps Politie Aruba'' ([[Aruba Police Force]]) is the law enforcement agency and operates district precincts in Oranjestad, Noord, San Nicolaas, and Santa Cruz, where it is headquartered.<ref name="KPA-districts">{{cite web|url=http://www.kparuba.com/districts.html|title=Korps Politie Aruba: district precincts|publisher=Aruba Police Force|access-date=11 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226151741/http://www.kparuba.com/districts.html|archive-date=26 February 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Divergent Legal Protections]] from the rest of the Kingdom of the Netherlands include not being part of the Law Enforcement Council (Raad van de Rechtshandhaving), which is a legal entity based on the Kingdom Act of the 7 July 2010 the Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council. Aruba is the only country in the kingdom that does not have an [[ombudsman]].

[[Deficit spending]] has been a staple in Aruba's history, and modestly high inflation has been present as well. By 2006, the government's debt had grown to 1.883&nbsp;billion [[Aruban florin]]s.<ref>{{cite web|author=Central Bureau of Statistics |title=Key Indicators General Government, 1997–2006 |url=http://www.cbs.aw/cbs/manageDocument.do?dispatch=view&id=927 |access-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722232628/http://www.cbs.aw/cbs/manageDocument.do?dispatch=view&id=927 |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}</ref> In 2006, the government changed several tax laws to reduce the deficit. [[Direct tax]]es have been converted to indirect taxes as proposed by the [[International Monetary Fund]].<ref>{{cite report |year= 2019 |title= Kingdom of the Netherlands – Aruba: 2019 Article IV Consultation Discussions – Press Release and Staff Report |publisher= International Monetary Fund |page= 9}}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
Aruba is one of the [[Special member state territories and the European Union#Dutch overseas territories|overseas countries and territories (OCT)]] of the European Union and maintains economic and cultural relations with the European Union<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of the EU and Kingdom Relations |url=http://www.europehousearuba.org/ |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=OFFICE OF THE EU AND KINGDOM RELATIONS |language=en |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730193655/http://www.europehousearuba.org/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thaivalappil |first=Maureen |title=U.S. Relations With Aruba |url=https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-aruba/ |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=United States Department of State |language=en}}</ref> Aruba is also a member of several international organisations such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and [[Interpol]]. Although not officially a part of the European Union, Aruba does receive support from the [[European Development Fund]].<ref name="euprofile">{{cite web |title=EU Relations with Aruba |url=http://www.eeas.europa.eu/aruba/index_en.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609050531/http://eeas.europa.eu/aruba/index_en.htm |archive-date=9 June 2011 |access-date=6 June 2011 |publisher=European Union}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) |url=http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/development/overseas_countries_territories/index_en.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813192112/http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/development/overseas_countries_territories/index_en.htm |archive-date=13 August 2011 |access-date=6 June 2011 |publisher=European Union}}</ref>

===Military===
{{See also|Military of Aruba}}

Defence is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.<ref name="autogenerated2"/> The [[Military of the Netherlands|Dutch Armed Forces]] that protect the island include the [[Royal Netherlands Navy|Navy]], [[Netherlands Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and the [[Netherlands Coastguard|Coastguard]] including a platoon sized national guard. All forces are stationed at Marines base in Savaneta. In 1999 the [[United States Department of Defense|US Department of Defense]] established a [[forward operating site]] the airport.<ref>{{cite news|title=Aruba Foreign Affairs|url=http://www.arubaforeignaffairs.com/afa/getPage.do?page=FOL|work=arubaforeignaffairs.com|access-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827194016/http://www.arubaforeignaffairs.com/afa/getPage.do?page=FOL|archive-date=27 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
{{Multiple image
| image1            = School Building 1888.jpg
| caption1          = First public elementary school (1888), currently houses the Council of Advise and the General Court of Audit since 1982.
| image2            = Aruba University.jpg
| caption2          = [[University of Aruba]]
| total_width       = 200
| direction         = vertical
}}
Historically, Dutch was not widely spoken on the island, except within colonial administration, and its usage increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref name="Putte" /> Students in Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire were predominantly taught in Spanish until the late 18th century.<ref>Van Putte 1999.</ref> Dutch serves as the primary language of instruction, with Papiamento taught as a subject in the lower grades of secondary education.{{Sfn|Dijkhoff|Pereira|2010|p=237}}

The educational system mirrors the [[Education in the Netherlands|Dutch education structure]],<ref name="Bogaerts (Transitional times)">{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/redsox/2013/09/03/usa-today-minor-league-player-of-the-year-xander-bogaerts-boston-red-sox/2760091/ |title=Bogaerts: USA TODAY Sports' Minor League Player of Year |work=USA Today |date=3 September 2013 |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402195016/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/redsox/2013/09/03/usa-today-minor-league-player-of-the-year-xander-bogaerts-boston-red-sox/2760091/ |archive-date=2 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> with public national education financed by the government of Aruba.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitaruba.com/education/|title=Aruba Education – Schools and Universities|website=VisitAruba.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> The education landscape includes a mix of public and private institutions, such as the [[International School of Aruba]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://3dprint.com/107833/aruba-e-nable-3d-print-hands/|title=Hands for Ziti: Teacher & Students from International School of Aruba Team Up to 3D Print e-NABLE Prosthetics|website=3dprint.com|date=25 November 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-15}}</ref> the Schakel College,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tilburgers.nl/tag/schakel-college-in-tilburg/|title=Schakel College in Tilburg • Tilburgers.nl – Nieuws uit Tilburg|website=Tilburgers.nl – Nieuws uit Tilburg|date=27 November 2017 |language=nl-NL|access-date=2018-09-15}}</ref> and [[Colegio Arubano]].

The [[University of Aruba]] is the national university. Aruba has three [[medical schools]], American University School of Medicine Aruba, [[Aureus University School of Medicine]] and [[Xavier University School of Medicine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aureusuniversity.com/|title=Aureus University School of Medicine|website=Aureusuniversity.com|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231245/http://www.aureusuniversity.com/|archive-date=25 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.xusom.com/|title=Caribbean Medical School – Xavier University|website=Caribbean Medical School – Xavier University|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231102/https://www.xusom.com/|archive-date=25 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Aruba}}{{See also|Transport in Aruba}}
[[File:RIU Palace Antillas - Aruba.jpg|thumb|A tourist resort on the island|left]]
The economy is dominated by four main industries: tourism, aloe export, [[Oil refinery|petroleum refining]], and offshore banking.<ref name="autogenerated2"/><ref name="Britannica"/> Aruba has one of the highest [[Standard of living|standards of living]] in the Caribbean region, a low unemployment rate and is classified as a [[World Bank high-income economy|high income economy]] by the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aruba - World Bank |url=https://data360.worldbank.org/en/economy/ABW}}</ref> The GDP per capita (PPP) was estimated to be $37,500 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Aruba|access-date=12 September 2019 }}</ref> Its main trading partners are Colombia, the United States, Venezuela, and the Netherlands.

The agriculture and manufacturing sectors are fairly minimal. [[Gold mining]] was important in the 19th century.<ref name="Britannica"/> Aloe was introduced in 1840 but did not become a big export until 1890. Cornelius Eman founded Aruba Aloe Balm, and over time the industry became very important to the economy. At one point, two-thirds of the island was covered in aloe vera fields, and Aruba became the largest exporter of aloe in the world. The industry continues today, though on a smaller scale.

Access to [[biocapacity]] is much lower than world average. In 2016, Aruba had 0.57 global hectares<ref name=footprintdata>{{cite web|url=http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=22&type=BCpc,EFCpc|title=Country Trends|publisher=Global Footprint Network|access-date= 4 June 2020}}</ref> of biocapacity per person within its territory, much less than the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lin|first1=David|last2=Hanscom|first2=Laurel|last3=Murthy|first3=Adeline|last4=Galli|first4=Alessandro|last5=Evans|first5=Mikel|last6=Neill|first6=Evan|last7=Mancini|first7=MariaSerena|last8=Martindill|first8=Jon|last9=Medouar|first9=FatimeZahra|last10=Huang|first10=Shiyu|last11=Wackernagel
|first11=Mathis|year=2018|title=Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries: Updates and Results of the National Footprint Accounts, 2012–2018|journal=Resources|language=en|volume=7|issue=3|pages=58|doi=10.3390/resources7030058|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Resou...7...58L }}</ref> In 2016, Aruba used 6.5 global hectares of biocapacity per person—their [[ecological footprint]] of consumption. This means they use almost 12 times the biocapacity that Aruba contains. This is the extent of Aruba's biocapacity deficit.<ref name=footprintdata/>

The official exchange rate of the [[Aruban florin]] is pegged to the US dollar at Afl 1.80 to US$1.00.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://gocuco.com/convert/usd-to-awg |title=Convert Dollars to Aruba Florin &#124; USD to AWG Currency Converter |publisher=Gocuco update exchange rates online }}</ref><!--note that currency fluctuates slightly because of the necessity of forcing the florin to the dollar by buying or selling florins or dollars--> This fact, and the majority of tourists being US, means businesses of hotel and resort districts prefer to bank and trade with the consumer in US dollars. Aruba is a prosperous country. Unemployment is low (although the government has not published statistics since 2013) and per capita income is one of the highest in the Caribbean (approximately $24,087). At the end of 2018, the labour force participation rate was 56.6% for women.

Until the mid-1980s, the main industry was oil refining; the refinery was shut down, and the economy shifted towards tourism. The refinery has been closed and restarted repeatedly during the last decades. In recent years a letter of intent was signed with CITGO (the US subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA) to explore the possibility of reopening the refinery again.

Until 2009, the Netherlands granted development aid to Aruba. This aid was mainly for law enforcement, education, administrative development, health care and sustainable economic development. This aid was discontinued at Aruba's request in 2009. Since 2015, however, a form of financial supervision has been reintroduced because debt has risen sharply to over 80% of GDP. Aruba has two free trade zones ([[Barcadera]] and Bushiri), where import and export and the movement of services are tax-free.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.freezonearuba.com/aruba-free-zone/barcadera-free-zone/ |title=Barcadera Free Zone|website=Free Zone Aruba|date=22 January 2014|access-date=1 May 2021}}</ref>

===Tourism===

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Aruba has a large and well-developed tourism industry, receiving 1,082,000 tourists who stayed overnight in its territory in 2018. About 75% of the gross national product is earned through tourism and related activities.<ref name="CIA">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Aruba|access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref> Most tourists are from North America, with a market-share of 73.3%, followed by Latin America with 15.2% and Europe with 8.3%.<ref name="ATA">{{cite news|url=https://antilliaansdagblad.com/aruba/19438-toerisme-aruba-naar-recordhoogte|title=Toerisme Aruba naar recordhoogte|publisher=Antilliaans Dagblad|date=5 May 2019|access-date=24 May 2019|language=nl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506090901/https://antilliaansdagblad.com/aruba/19438-toerisme-aruba-naar-recordhoogte|archive-date=6 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, there were 40,231 visitors from the [[Netherlands]].

For private aircraft passengers bound for the United States, the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]], [[US Customs and Border Protection]] has a full pre-clearance facility since 1 February 2001 when [[Queen Beatrix International Airport|Queen Beatrix Airport]] expanded. Since 2008, Aruba has been the only island to have this service for private flights.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://highend-traveller.com/aruba/|title=Aruba|date=31 May 2016|work=HighEnd-traveller.com|access-date=2017-12-08|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174753/https://highend-traveller.com/aruba/|archive-date=8 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Aruba}}
{{See also|Music of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles|Sports in Aruba|Cucui}}Aruba boasts a diverse culture. According to the ''Bureau Burgelijke Stand en Bevolkingsregister'' (BBSB, Civil Registry and Population Register), in 2005, the island was home to people from 92 different nationalities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Aruba in Timeline – Popular Timelines|url=https://populartimelines.com/t/690/Aruba|website=populartimelines.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref> Dutch influence is still evident in traditions like the celebration of ''[[Sinterklaas]]'' (Saint Nicholas) on 5 and 6 December, as well as national holidays like 27 April when Aruba, along with the rest of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, celebrates ''[[Koningsdag]]'' (King's day) or ''Dia di Rey'' (in Papiamento) is celebrated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sinterklaas op Aruba – Feestdagen op Aruba |url=https://www.aruba.com/nl/evenement/sint-nicolaas-dag |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=aruba.com |language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=King's Day in Aruba- Official Aruba Holiday |url=https://www.aruba.com/us/calendar/kings-day |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=aruba.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

On 18 March, Aruba celebrates its National Anthem and Flag Day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 National Anthem & Flag Day in Aruba |url=https://www.aruba.com/us/calendar/national-anthem-and-flag-day |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=aruba.com |language=en-us}}</ref> Christmas and New Year's Eve are celebrated with the typical music and songs of [[Gaita flutes|gaita]]s for Christmas<ref>{{Cite web |last=Overheid |first=Aruba |date=9 November 2018 |title=Gaita |url=https://www.overheid.aw/informatie-dienstverlening/folklore_47084/item/gaita_37810.html |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=overheid.aw |language=nl-NL}}</ref> and the {{Interlanguage link|Dande (Aruba)|lt=dande|nl|Dande}} for New Year. Traditional food and drinks like ''[[Hallaca|ayaca]]'', ''[[ponche crema]]'', ham, and more are also parts of the festive season. 25 January is dedicated to celebrating Betico Croes day, while 24 June is the day for [[Saint John's Eve|''Dia di San Juan'']]. In addition to Christmas, religious holidays such as the [[Feast of the Ascension]] and [[Good Friday]] are observed.

Aruba's [[Carnival|Carnaval]] is a significant cultural event, akin to celebrations in other Caribbean and Latin American countries. It began in the 1950s, influenced by residents from Venezuela and nearby islands (Curaçao, St. Vincent, Trinidad, Barbados, St. Maarten, and Anguilla) who worked at the oil refinery. The Carnaval Celebrations now spans from early January until [[Fat Tuesday]], featuring a grand parade on the final Sunday of the festivities.<ref name="arubabeachhouse">{{cite web |title=Aruba |url=https://arubabeachhouse.ca/about/aruba/127-government |website=Aruba Beach House |access-date=28 April 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428231006/https://arubabeachhouse.ca/about/aruba/127-government |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Aruba has seen an increased influence of American culture with rising tourism from the United States. This is evident in the adoption of American celebrations like [[Halloween]] in October and Thanksgiving Day in November.<ref name="arubabeachhouse"/>

=== Architecture ===
{{See also|De Olde Molen}}[[File:Plaza Daniel Leo, Oranjestad, Aruba - February 2020.jpg|thumb|Ornate buildings in [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]]]From the beginning of the colonisation of the Netherlands until the beginning of the 20th century, the architecture in the most inhabited areas was influenced by the Dutch colonial style and also some Spanish elements from the [[Catholic missions|Catholic missionaries]]. After the boom of the oil industry and the tourist sector in the 20th century, the architectural style of the island incorporated a more American and international influence. In addition, elements of the [[Art Deco]] style can still be seen in several buildings in San Nicolas. Therefore, it can be said that the island's architecture is a mixture of Spanish, Dutch, American and Caribbean influences.

=== Sport ===
The most popular sports in Aruba are [[Aruba Football Federation|football]], basketball, baseball, and volleyball, as well as beach sports.<ref name="Verlete Sports 2020">{{cite web | title=Global Sports Industry Data | website=Verlete Sports | date=12 February 2020 | url=https://www.verlete.com/country/aruba/ | access-date=2024-05-07}}</ref> Aruba has competed at the [[Olympic Games]] since [[Aruba at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988]].<ref name="Palmer 2018">{{cite web | first=Dan | last=Palmer | title=Aruban Olympic Committee honour athletes with special book | website=insidethegames.biz | date=11 September 2018 | url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1069841/aruban-olympic-committee-honour-athletes-with-special-book | access-date=2024-05-07}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
{{Main|Transport in Aruba}}
[[Queen Beatrix International Airport]] is near Oranjestad. Aruba has four ports: [[Barcadera]], the main cargo port; [[Paardenbaai]], the cruise ship terminal in Oranjestad/Taratata;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/download/BNADIGWERBATAARUBA/BNA-DIG-WERBATA-004.jpg |title=Taratata map (historic)|access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/906829876 |title=Taratata map (updated)|date=5 November 2021 |access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref> Commandeurs Baai (Commander's Bay) in [[Savaneta]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docplayer.nl/113421717-Naar-een-duurzame-inrichting-van-aruba.html |title=Naar een duurzame inrichting van Aruba |publisher=Ministerie Ruimtelijke Onderwikkeling, Infrastructuur en Milieu|language=nl|access-date=2 May 2021|year=2019|page=10}}</ref> and Sint Nicolaas Baai in San Nicolaas. Paardenbaai services all the cruise-ship lines such as [[Royal Caribbean International|Royal Caribbean]], [[Carnival Cruise Lines|Carnival]], [[Norwegian Cruise Line|NCL]], [[Holland America Line|Holland America]], [[MSC Cruises]], [[Costa Cruises]], [[P&O Cruises]] and [[Disney Cruise Line|Disney]]. Nearly one million tourists enter this port per year. Aruba Ports Authority, owned and operated by the Aruban government, runs these seaports.[[File:AUA Arrivals building.JPG|thumb|The Arrivals building at Queen Beatrix International Airport]]

''[[Arubus N.V.|Arubus]]'' is a government-owned bus company. Its buses operate from 3:30&nbsp;a.m. until 12:30&nbsp;am, 365 days a year. Private minibuses/people movers service zones such as the Hotel Area, San Nicolaas, Santa Cruz and Noord. A [[Trams in Oranjestad, Aruba|streetcar service]] runs on rails on the main street of Oranjestad.<ref>[http://news.visitaruba.com/news/street-car-is-up-and-running-on-arubas-mainstreet/ Street car is up and running] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705133015/http://news.visitaruba.com/news/street-car-is-up-and-running-on-arubas-mainstreet/ |date=5 July 2014 }} The Morning News, 27 February 2013</ref>

In December 2009, the first wind farm in Aruba, the [[Vader Piet Wind Farm]], was commissioned. With a capacity of 30 MW, it produces a sizeable portion of Aruba's electricity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Supporting wind parks in Aruba |url=https://ecologi.com/projects/supporting-wind-parks-in-aruba |access-date=20 December 2023 |website=Ecology}}</ref><ref name="Power Technology, 14 November 2023">{{cite web |date=14 November 2023 |title=Power plant profile: Vader Piet, Aruba |url=https://www.power-technology.com/data-insights/power-plant-profile-vader-piet-aruba/?cf-view |access-date=20 December 2023 |website=Power Technology}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Wind Energy Vader Piet, Aruba |url=https://group.dhl.com/content/dam/deutschepostdhl/en/media-center/responsibility/climate-protection-projects/dpdhl-factsheet-gogreen-projects-aruba-en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220012733/https://group.dhl.com/content/dam/deutschepostdhl/en/media-center/responsibility/climate-protection-projects/dpdhl-factsheet-gogreen-projects-aruba-en.pdf |archive-date=20 December 2023 |access-date=20 December 2023 |website=DHL Group}}</ref>

Water- en Energiebedrijf Aruba, N.V. (W.E.B.) produces and distributes potable water<ref>{{cite web |title=W.E.B. Water Distribution |url=https://webaruba.com/water-production/water-distribution |access-date=11 May 2022 |archive-date=11 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511212008/https://webaruba.com/water-production/water-distribution |url-status=dead }}</ref> and power. Average daily water consumption in Aruba is about 35,600 m3 (46,500 cu. yd.) per day,<ref>{{cite web |title=W.E.B. Water Consumption |url=https://webaruba.com/water-production/technologies-used |access-date=11 May 2022}}</ref> and average power generation is 104 MW.<ref>{{cite web |title=W.E.B. Power Generation |url=https://webaruba.com/energy-production/power-production-figures |access-date=11 May 2022 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523072712/https://webaruba.com/energy-production/power-production-figures |url-status=dead }}</ref> W.E.B. produces electricity, which is distributed by [[N.V. Elmar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ELMAR Solar and Wind |url=https://www.elmar.aw/save-energy/solar-panels-windmills |access-date=11 May 2022}}</ref> Both companies share the same parent holding which is Utilities Aruba N.V.<ref>{{cite web |title=ELMAR and WEB corporate structure |url=https://www.elmar.aw/about-elmar/about-nv-elmar |access-date=11 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Utilities Aruba |url=https://www.utilitiesarubanv.com/main/ |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref> The [[Sunrise Solar Park]] was installed and opened in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Press Release: Web Aruba 'Sunrise Solar Park' Project Ground Breaking Monumental for Caribbean Clean Energy Transition |url=https://rmi.org/press-release/press-release-web-aruba-sunrise-solar-park-project-ground-breaking-monumental-for-caribbean-clean-energy-transition/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=RMI |language=en-US}}</ref>[[File:Aruba electricity production.svg|thumb|Aruba electricity production by source|left]]There are three sewage treatment plants at Zeewijk, Parkietenbos and Bubali. The one in Bubali (near the bird sanctuary) is 4 decades old and is processing over 8,000 m3 (10,000 cu. yd.) per day,<ref>{{cite web|title=Bubali RWZI  |date=20 October 2021 |url=https://www.government.aw/news/news_47033/item/rwzi-needs-an-urgent-solution_58430.html |access-date=9 April 2022 }}</ref> around double its original capacity of 4,500 m3 (5900 cu. yd.) per day (due to Aruba's growth). A solid waste landfill (16 hectares; 40 acres) is located at Parkietenbos. The capacity is between 130 and 150 kilotons per year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parkietenbos RFI1  |date=8 February 2018 |url=https://www.government.aw/news/news_47033/item/the-government-of-aruba-announces-a-request-for-information-on-long-term-sustainable-waste-management-solutions_33175.html |access-date=9 April 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Parkietenbos RFI2  |date=8 February 2018 |url=https://www.government.aw/news/news_47033/item/the-government-of-aruba-announces-a-request-for-information-on-long-term-sustainable-waste-management-solutions_33175.html |access-date=9 April 2022 }}</ref>  Sometimes there are huge spontaneous fires creating pollution.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dump on fire again  |date=7 April 2022 |url=https://english.24ora.com/2022/04/07/dump-on-fire-once-again/ |access-date=9 April 2022 }}</ref>

There are two telecommunications providers: government-based [[SetarNV|Setar]], and privately owned [[Digicel]]. [[Digicel]] is Setar's competitor in wireless technology using the GSM platform.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mio Wireless |url=http://www.mioaruba.com/products |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619110741/http://www.mioaruba.com/products |archive-date=19 June 2014 }}</ref>

==Places of interest==
{{further|List of monuments of Aruba}}
[[File:Aruba-Hooiberg-2013.JPG|thumb|right|Hooiberg (hill)]]

{{columns-list|colwidth=10em|
* [[Alto Vista Chapel]]
* [[Arikok National Park]]
* [[Ayo Rock Formations|Ayo and Casibari Rock Formations]]
* [[Bushiribana and Balashi]]
* [[California Lighthouse]]
* [[Frenchman's Pass]]
* [[Hooiberg]]
* [[Jamanota]]
* [[Natural Pool]]
* [[Quadiriki Caves]]
* [[Sint Nicolaas, Aruba|Sint Nicolaas]]
* [[Lago Colony]]
* [[Beaches of Aruba]]
* [[Aruba Natural Bridge]]
}}

==Notable people==
{{main|List of Arubans}}

== See also ==
{{portal |Caribbean|Netherlands}}
* [[Index of Aruba-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Aruba]]{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite news |last=Alofs |first=Luc |date=11 February 1995 |title=De Rode Rand van de Slavernij, 1809–1914 : Rode Slavernij op Koloniaal Aruba |language=nl |trans-title=The Red Edge of Slavery, 1809–1914: Red Slavery on Colonial Aruba |url=https://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-ARTIKEL-ALOFS-1995/mode/1up?q=1515}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brenneker |first=Paul Hubert Franz |title=Zjozjolí : gegevens over de volkskunde van Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire |publisher=Instant Printing Services |year=1986 |location=Willemstad, Curaçao |language=nl |trans-title=Zjozjolí: Data on the Folklore of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire |oclc=742063538}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Dijkhoff |first1=Marta |title=Creoles in Education |last2=Pereira |first2=Joyce |publisher=John Benjamins B.V. |year=2010 |pages=237–272 |chapter=Language and education in Aruba Bonaire and Curaçao}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nooyen |first=R.H. |url=https://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-ARUBIANA-0066 |title=Millefiori di Aruba |year=1965 |location=Oranjestad, Aruba |language=pap |trans-title=Millefiori of Aruba |oclc=2270256}}
{{refend}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*Aymer, Paula L. – ''Uprooted Women: Migrant Domestics in the Caribbean.''
*{{cite journal |last=Conway |first=Dennis |date=Spring 1999 |title=Uprooted Women: Migrant Domestics in the Caribbean |journal=The International Migration Review |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=210–212 |jstor=40166484 |doi=10.2307/2547337}}
*{{cite journal |last=Burgess |first=Norma J. |date=September 1998 |title=Uprooted Women: Migrant Domestics in the Caribbean |journal=Contemporary Sociology |volume=27 |issue=5 |pages=511–512 |jstor=34889616 |doi=10.2307/2654520}}
*Brown, Enid – ''Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles: An Annotated English-Language Bibliography.''
*{{cite journal |last=Hoefte |first=Rosemarijn |date=October 1993 |title=Review: Hartert on Birds from Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao |journal=The Hispanic American Historical Review |volume=73 |issue=4 |page=677 |jstor=6114727}}
*Gerber, Stanford N. – ''The Family in the Caribbean: Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on the Family in the Caribbean, Aruba, 1969.''
*{{cite journal |last=Craig |first=Susan |year=1979 |title=Review: Millstones or Milestones? |journal=Latin American Research Review |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages= 256–263 |publisher=The Latin American Studies Association |doi=10.1017/S0023879100032453 |jstor=2502983 |s2cid=253149403|doi-access=free }}
*Green, Vera M. – ''Migrants in Aruba: Interethnic Integration.''
*{{cite journal |last=Green |first=James W. |date=September 1975 |title=Review |journal=American Anthropologist |volume=77 |series=New |issue=3 |pages=648–649 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association |jstor=673439 |doi=10.1525/aa.1975.77.3.02a00490 |doi-access=free}}
*Hartert, Ernst – ''On the Birds of the Islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.''
*{{cite journal |last=F. M. C. |date=October 1893 |title=Review: Hartert on Birds from Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao |journal=The Auk |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=355–357 |publisher=University of California Press on behalf of the American Ornithologists' Union |jstor=4067829}}
*{{cite journal |last=Coutts |first=B. E. |date=September 1994 |title=Reference: Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (World bibliographical series, 168) compiled by Kai Schoenhals |journal=Choice |volume=32 |issue=1 |page=78 |jstor=7258919}}
*Ridderstaat J., Croes R. and Nijkamp P. (2014), Tourism and Long-run Economic Growth in Aruba, ''International Journal of Tourism Research'', 16, pages 472–487, doi: 10.1002/jtr.1941.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-aruba.ogg|date=16 August 2005}}
* {{official website|https://www.gobierno.aw/}} of the [[Government of Aruba]]

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