Alonzo de Ojeda discovered Aruba in 1499, claiming the island for Spain. However, the Spaniards did not consider the island worth colonizing and left the original Arawak Indian inhabitants to live in virtual peace. The Spaniards’ lack of interest resulted in the island becoming a haven for pirates and buccaneers. Spanish hegemony continued unchallenged, however, until 1634, by which time the war with Holland was well into its seventh decade. Dutch war interests then switched to the Caribbean and the Dutch fleet took over the neglected territory with little opposition. In 1643, the Dutch appointed
a governor to take charge of Aruba and the rest of the Netherlands Antilles. Except for a brief period in the early 19th century, when the British took possession, Aruba has remained under peaceful Dutch jurisdiction ever since.
On 1 January 1986, Aruba achieved internal autonomy, separating it administratively from the rest of the Netherlands Antilles, although it remains an integral part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This was originally conceived as the first step towards independence, for which a 10-year transitional period was planned. In March 1994, however, after consultation with the Dutch government, this plan was shelved. Independence at some later date has not been completely ruled out but it will now require the consent of two-thirds of the population in a referendum. The reluctance to move towards independence seems to have come from the Arubans themselves, especially the leading political party, the
Arubaanse Volkspartij (AVP). The AVP, under the leadership of Jan Hendrik Eman, won both two successive elections in 1993 and 1997, although suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of its major rival the center-left
Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo (MEP) at the most recent poll in September 2001. Nelson Oduber took over as Premier.
GovernmentAruba is a separate entity within the Kingdom of The Netherlands, with a Governor appointed by the Dutch monarch, a 21-member parliament (or
Staten), directly elected for a four-year term, and a Council of Ministers.
EconomyBetween 1824 and 1916, the economy was based on gold mining. An oil refinery opened in the mid 1920s and was the most important commercial operation on the island until its closure in 1985. However, it was re-opened in 1991 and oil reassumed its central position in the Aruban economy. In the meantime, a sizeable tourism sector grew up. Aruba now receives 1.5 million tourists a year, 75% from the USA.
More recently, Aruba has been joined by offshore service industries, including finance and data processing. The country’s free-port status, ship bunkering and repair facilities are the island’s other main sources of revenue.
Light industry is limited to the production of some tobacco products, drinks and consumer goods. Agriculture is confined to small-scale activity, because of poor soil quality. Aruba is classed as an Associated Territory of the European Union.
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