A Glimpse Into Arbua Demographics By: Patrick Desnoyers

In 1515 the Spanish took the population of Aruba to work in their mining fields, which were mostly copper. The area was known as Hispaniola. Aruba was saved at that time from the slave industry. They had poor soil. When some of the mines were tapped, certain number of people retuned to their homeland. The Dutch took over the Island and Arawaks were used to graze livestock. The island was used as a meat source for the Dutch living in the Caribbean. The heritage of the Arawaks is the strongest in Aruba. There are no more aboriginals remaining in Aruba, but on some of the Islanders the features clearly show their heritage. Arawak is the main point where most of the population has descended from, some of them have descended from Spanish, Dutch and ancestors of African people. Some people from the Caribbean Island and some Latin Americans have immigrated to Aruba which has been a result of attractive wages and good position jobs.

The national language of Aruba is Papiamento which is also known as the creole language. Dutch is also widely spoken and is considered an official language. In the 16th century creole was primarily formed from Portuguese. In Aruba English and Spanish are also spoken. Most Islanders are Roman Catholics and can speak at least four languages.

Aruba is considered an independent state. It is close to Venezuela and is only 16 miles north of the country. Its land area is 75 square miles which is slightly bigger than Washington DC. Aruba has a dry climate and sunny days and very little risk of hurricanes.

As originally mentioned the Spanish ruled in Aruba from the 16th century and went on until the 17th century. The Dutch took after that. They were in charge of the island until the 20th century. During a brief period the British took control. Gold was discovered in the 19th century and there was prosperity in Aruba. Later on oil refining became a major component of the industry.

Aruba was never a major factor in the slave trade. The rest of the Caribbean islands played a bigger role. There is limited rainfall in Aruba, and so soil is poor which led to no plantation being grown in Aruba. This lessened the role Aruba played in the slave trade. This is why Aruba is mostly Dutch and Spanish, and has influence from its aboriginal people of Arawak.

Aruba became part of the Netherlands in 1954, which included Surinam. Aruba separated from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986. The tourism industry has grown since the 1990's. this has made the economy in Aruba strong and steady. Because of all the sunny days in Aruba it has drawn many tourists and visitors. Aruba has beautiful beaches an is in close proximity to South America. The white beaches are a major attraction. The standard of expenses and living is high in Aruba. The island has approximately 100,000 citizens and a per capital GDP of 24,000 dollars..

The currency used in Aruba is Aruban Florin which has an exchange rate of 1.75 florins to a US dollar. Aruba has many hotels, bed and breakfasts, guesthouses and bungalows. Meals cost approximately between 5 and 20 dollars. Aruba is an excellent travelling destination and with many conveniences at hand.

Informations is provided by Arubavisit.info , a website dedicated at providing the best informations on Aruba. In house articles will provide informations on topics such as Aruba nightlife or Aruba beaches. Plan your next trip to visit Aruba and have fun.

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