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is provided as an overview of and introduction to Aruba: Aruba – Caribbean island nation that is a Kingdom of the Netherlands#Countries, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba comprises the Island of Aruba, an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

of the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

, in length in the southern

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, north of the

Paraguaná Peninsula The Paraguaná Peninsula () is a peninsula in Venezuela, situated in the north of Falcón State, and comprises the municipalities of Carirubana, Los Taques and Falcón. The island of Aruba lies to the north. Bonaire and Curaçao are slightly ...

Falcón State ) , anthem = , image_map = Falcon in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_mapsiz ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. A country within the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

, Aruba has no administrative subdivisions. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism as visitors to the island can reliably expect warm sunny weather. It has a land area of and lies outside the

hurricane belt Hurricane Alley is an area of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from the west coast of northern Africa to the east coast of Central America and Gulf Coast of the Southern United States. Many hurricanes form within this area. The sea su ...

General reference

Pronunciation Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct pronunciation") or simply the way a particular ...

: * Common English country name: Aruba * Official English country name: Aruba of the

* Common endonym(s): * Official endonym(s): * Adjectival(s): Aruban * Demonym(s): *

ISO country codes ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It ...

: AW, ABW, 533 *

ISO region codes ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. The ...

: See ISO 3166-2:AW *

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...

.aw .aw is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol sui ...

Geography of Aruba

Geography of Aruba * Aruba is: an island, and a country of the

* Location: ** Northern Hemisphere and

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

*** North America (just off the coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, north of

) **

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

*** Caribbean ****

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

*****

(island chain) ******

Leeward Antilles The Leeward Antilles ( nl, Benedenwindse Eilanden) are a chain of islands in the Caribbean – specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and, in turn, the Antilles and the West Indies) along the southeastern fringe of the C ...

Time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...

Eastern Caribbean Time The Atlantic Time Zone is a geographical region that keeps standard time—called Atlantic Standard Time (AST)—by subtracting four hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC), resulting in UTC−04:00. AST is observed in parts of North America ...

( UTC-04) *** High: Mount Jamanota *** Low:

0 m ** Land boundaries: ''none'' ** Coastline: 68.5 km * Population of Aruba: 104,494 (2007) - 195th most populous country * * Area of Aruba: * Atlas of Aruba

Environment of Aruba

* Climate of Aruba * Wildlife of Aruba ** Fauna of Aruba *** Mammals of Aruba

Natural geographic features of Aruba

Islands of Aruba Almost all of the Caribbean islands are in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest island is Cuba. Other sizable islands include Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the smaller islands are re ...

* Rivers of Aruba * World Heritage Sites in Aruba: None

Regions of Aruba

Administrative divisions of Aruba

''None''.

Demography of Aruba

Demographics of Aruba This is a demography of the population of Aruba including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Having poor soil and aridity, Aruba was ...

Government and politics of Aruba

Politics of Aruba Politics of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country, whereby the governor in his capacity as the King's representative is the ''de jure'' head o ...

* Form of government:

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

and

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

representative democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

* Capital of Aruba: Oranjestad *

Elections in Aruba Aruba elects a legislature on the national level. The Estates (''Staten'') have 21 members, elected for a four-year term by Open list Party-list proportional representation. Seats are distributed between parties that have gained at least one full ...

Political parties in Aruba Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

Branches of government

Government of Aruba Politics of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country, whereby the governor in his capacity as the King's representative is the ''de jure'' head o ...

Executive branch of the government of Aruba

Head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

Monarchy of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch. Roughly a third of ...

** Her Majesty's representative:

Governor of Aruba The governor of Aruba is the representative on Aruba of the Dutch monarch. The governor's duties are twofold; he represents and guards the general interests of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is head of the Aruban government. He is accountab ...

Head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

Prime Minister of Aruba The Prime Minister of Aruba is de facto head of the Executive branch of government. Together with Aruba's Council of Ministers, they form the executive branch of Aruban government. List of prime ministers of Aruba Government of Aruba < ...

* Cabinet: Council of Ministers of Aruba

Legislative branch of the government of Aruba

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

Estates of Aruba The Parliament of Aruba ( pap, Parlamento di Aruba, nl, Staten van Aruba) is the unicameral legislature or parliament of Aruba. The parliament has 21 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Each member holds their ...

(

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

)

Judicial branch of the government of Aruba

Court system of Aruba * Court of first instance of Aruba

Foreign relations of Aruba

Foreign relations of Aruba * Diplomatic missions in Aruba * Diplomatic missions of Aruba

International organization membership

Aruba is a member of: * Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) (observer) *

International Criminal Police Organization The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

(Interpol) *

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

(ILO) *

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...

(IMF) *

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

(IOC) *

International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...

(ITUC) *

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(UNESCO) (associate) *

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...

(UPU) *

World Confederation of Labour The World Confederation of Labour (WCL) was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the ...

(WCL) *

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

(WFTU) *

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Intern ...

(WMO) *

World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...

(UNWTO) (associate) In many other organizations (most notably the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

) the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a member acceding on behalf of all countries of the Kingdom.

Law and order in Aruba

* Capital punishment in Aruba * Coast guard – Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard * Constitution of Aruba * Human rights in Aruba ** LGBT rights in Aruba * Law enforcement in Aruba

Military of Aruba

Military of Aruba Defense on Aruba is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands Military forces that protect Aruba include the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Netherlands Marine Corps and the Netherlands Coastguard. There is also a sma ...

* Aruba is a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

of the

, and has no defense forces of its own * Forces ** Army of Aruba: None ** Navy of Aruba: None ** Air Force of Aruba: None ** Special forces of Aruba: None * Military ranks of Aruba: None

History of Aruba

Culture of Aruba

Culture of Aruba The culture of Aruba, one of the many islands that make up the Caribbean, is an amalgamate of the various cultures that have occupied and lived on the island, including indigenous peoples of South America, descendants of African slaves, and Spa ...

* Festivals in Aruba *

Languages of Aruba The official languages of the Caribbean island-state of Aruba are Papiamento and Dutch, but most Arubans speak a minimum of four languages, including English and Spanish. Schools require students to learn English, Spanish and to a lesser extent ...

* National symbols of Aruba **

Coat of arms of Aruba The Coat of arms of Aruba was originally designed in Amsterdam in 1955. Since then, it has been in use as the national symbol of Aruba. The symbol has seven main elements:http://www.visitaruba.com/facts/general/coatofarms.html "Aruba Facts - Ge ...

Flag of Aruba Aruba's national flag was adopted on 18 March 1976. The design consists of a field of light blue (called " United Nations Blue"), two narrow parallel horizontal yellow ("Bunting Yellow") stripes in the bottom half, and a four-pointed white-fimbr ...

** National anthem of Aruba * Religion in Aruba ** Islam in Aruba * World Heritage Sites in Aruba: None *

National Library of Aruba The National Library of Aruba (Papiamento: ''Biblioteca Nacional Aruba'', BNA) is the main library of Aruba. It is located in Oranjestad and holds more than 100,000 volumes. BNA serves as both the national and the public library of Aruba. It was ...

List of monuments of Aruba This table shows an overview of the monuments of Aruba. Gallery of other monuments, category 2 File:Atlo Vista Chapel (4), Noord, ARUBA.jpg File:Ex Papiamento R ...

Art in Aruba

* Music of Aruba

Sports in Aruba

* Football in Aruba *

Aruba at the Olympics Aruba first competed at the Olympic Games in 1988, and has participated in each Summer Olympic Games since then. Aruba has yet to win any Olympic medals. Between 1952 until 1984, Aruban athletes competed as part of the Netherlands Antilles. This ...

Economy and infrastructure of Aruba

Economy of Aruba The economy of Aruba is an open system, with tourism currently providing the largest percentage of the country's income. Because of tourism's rapid growth in the last 80 years, related industries like construction have also flourished in Aruba. ...

* Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 154th (one hundred and fifty fourth) *

Communications in Aruba This article is about communications systems in Aruba. Telephone Telephones - main lines in use: 38,700 (2006) ''country comparison to the world:'' 166 Telephones - mobile cellular: 105,700 (2006) ''country comparison to the world:'' 178 Telepho ...

Internet in Aruba This article is about communications systems in Aruba. Telephone Telephones - main lines in use: 38,700 (2006) ''country comparison to the world:'' 166 Telephones - mobile cellular: 105,700 (2006) ''country comparison to the world:'' 178 Telephon ...

* Currency of Aruba: Florin ** ISO 4217: AWG * Aruba Stock Exchange * Transport in Aruba **

Airports in Aruba This is a list of airports in Aruba. Airports See also * Transportation in Aruba Transport in Aruba is facilitated by road, air, and rail. Aruba features a well-established road network, with the majority of the roads being paved. Howev ...

** Rail transport in Aruba

Education in Aruba

* Colegio Arubano *

International School of Aruba The International School of Aruba (ISA) is a non-profit private school in Aruba. In 2006, it moved to a new campus with a more centralized location. It was founded in 1929 and was owned by Lago Oil and Transport Co. Ltd. From 1986 on, the scho ...