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Our history. The island Aruba was discovered in 1499 by the Spaniards. They made little use of it, because they found the climate too arid for cultivation and they discovered only little evidence of the gold they were eagerly looking for.

The Dutch captured the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire from the Spanish in 1636 and Curaçao became the administrative capital for the Dutch West India Company in the Netherlands Antilles.

The island. Aruba with a total area of 180 square kilometers, is located in the Caribbean sea,and is among the most southern of the Lesser Antilles islands approximately 19 miles north of Venezuela.The island has a population of about 100.000.Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The government. The government is located in the capital of Aruba, called Oranjestad. Since Aruba assumed a separate status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1986, the island has full autonomy in internal affairs, but the Dutch Government is still responsible for defence and foreign affairs.

The system of the government is a parliamentary democracy. Free elections are held every four years. The legal system is based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence. Standard of living is rather high.</p>

Income. Tourism is the main source of income in Aruba. Offshore banking, oil refining and dock facilities are also important.

Currency. The currency of Aruba is the Aruban Guilder/Florin. The exchange rate of the Guilder is fixed to the United States Dollar at a rate of US$=AWG 1,79. US Dollars are also widely accepted on the island as a method of payment.