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Description Aruba by rbd.me
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Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
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Location
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
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Area - comparative
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slightly larger than Washington, DC
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Natural resources Aruba
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flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
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Population Aruba
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104,589
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Religions Aruba
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Roman Catholic 80.8%, Evangelist 4.1%, Protestant 2.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%, Methodist 1.2%, Jewish 0.2%, other 5.1%, none or unspecified 4.6%
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Languages
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Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
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Education Aruba expenditures
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4.8% of GDP (2005)
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Government Aruba type
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member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
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Independence
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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Aruba Economy - overview
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the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
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Investment Aruba
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NA%
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Industries Aruba
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tourism, transshipment facilities
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Airports Aruba
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no regular military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2010)
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