Aruba Dushi Tera

HISTORY

Aruba's first inhabitants are thought to have been Caquetíos Amerinds from the Arawaktribe, who migrated there from Venezuela to escape attacks by the Caribs. Sea currentsmade cano-etravel to other Caribbean islands difficult, thus Caquetio culture remained closer to that of mainland South America. Aruba was colonized by Spain for over a century. The Cacique or Indian Chief in Aruba,Simas, welcomed the first priests in Aruba and received from them a wooden cross as a gift. In 1508, Alonso de Ojeda was appointed as Spain's first Governor of Aruba, as part of "Nueva Andalucía".  InAugust 1985 Aruba drafted a constitution that was unanimously approved. On 1 January 1986, after elections were held for Aruba's first parliament, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles andofficially became a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Full independence was projected in 1996.
Anthem: " Aruba Dushi Tera " (Aruba País Precioso)

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POLITICS

 Aruba's politics takeplace within a framework of a 21-member Parliament and an eight-member Cabinet. The governor of Aruba is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch. Aruba is designated as a member of the OverseasCountries and Territories (OCT) and is thus officially not a part of the European Union, though Aruba can and does receive support from the European Development Fund. In 2006 the Aruban governmentchanged several tax laws to reduce the deficit. Direct taxes have been converted to indirect taxes as proposed by the IMF. A 3% tax has been introduced on sales and services, while income taxes have beenlowered and revenue taxes for business reduced by 20%. The government compensated workers with 3.1% for the effect that the B.B.O. would have on the inflation for 2007.

Queen Beatrix is the head ofstate of Aruba

ECONOMY

The island's economy has been dominated by five main industries: gold mining, phosphate mining (The Aruba Phosphaat Maatschappij), aloe export, petroleum refineries (The...