Geographically, Aruba is part of the Netherlands Antilles and has as head of state Queen Beatrix. However, on 1 January 1986 Aruba broke free from the Netherlands Antilles. Today Aruba has the...
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Geographically, Aruba is part of the Netherlands Antilles and has as head of state Queen Beatrix. However, on 1 January 1986 Aruba broke free from the Netherlands Antilles. Today Aruba has the highest quality of life in the Caribbean and the level of crime is low. Half of the country’s GNP comes from tourism. And the tourists come here, like the first Indians 600 B.C., from Venezuela, Europe and the US. Aruba, as a self-governing part of the Netherlands, is clearly gay friendly. The island was the first in the Caribbean to legislate for gender-neutral marriages. However, the island has a more family oriented tourism, compared to Curaçao, the main island of the Netherlands Antilles.
Facts:
Population: 100 000
Official language: Dutch, Papiamento
Area: 193 km²
Currency: Aruban florin
Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy, part of the Kingdom of Neatherlands
Calling code: +297
Time zone: -4
