Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, situated in the south of the Caribbean Sea. Aruba is located approximately 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Curaçao.
Oranjestad, the capital and most populous of Aruba's eight regions, is located on the southwestern coast of the island. In Papiamento, the local language, Oranjestad is commonly referred to as "Playa" by the locals.
Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Oranjestad, Aruba. It is Aruba's national football stadium, named after Guillermo Trinidad, a politician from the same neighbourhood (Dakota).
The music of the former Netherlands Antilles is a mixture of native, African and European elements, and is closely connected with trends from neighboring countries such as Venezuela and Colombia and islands such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Martinique, Trinidad, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. The former Netherlands Antilles islands of Curaçao and Aruba are known for their typical waltzes, danzas, mazurkas and a kind of music called tumba, which is named after the conga drums that accompany it.
The culture of Aruba, encompassing its language, music, and cuisine, is diverse and has been influenced by both regional and foreign cultures. One significant foreign influence originates from the Iberian Peninsula, which had a significant impact on the island for approximately 137 years, starting c. 1500. These influences were characaterized by a strong religious presence, missionary activities, and economic exploitation.
The Aruba national football team is the national team of Aruba. It was founded in 1932 and is affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), CONCACAF and FIFA and is controlled by the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond.
Eugene Humphrey Kingsale is a Dutch-Aruban former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from 1996 until 2003. At six-foot-three, and his weight ranging from 170 to 194 pounds, Kingsale was known in his playing days as a slick fielding, speedy switch-hitter who threw right-handed.
Natalee Ann Holloway was an 18-year-old American high school graduate from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who disappeared from the Caribbean island of Aruba on May 30, 2005. Her disappearance resulted in an international media sensation, especially in the United States. The prime suspect, Dutch national Joran van der Sloot, has made conflicting statements over the years about his involvement, including a confession to killing her. Holloway's remains have not been found.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "On Top of the World" written by Tjeerd Oosterhuis, Martin Gijzemijter and Maarten ten Hove. The song was performed by Edsilia Rombley, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to represent the Netherlands at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland after previously representing the country in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 where she placed third with the song "Hemel en aarde". Edsilia Rombley's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 16 December 2006. Three potential songs were presented to the public on 11 February 2007 during the special programme Mooi! Weer het Nationaal Songfestival where the selected song "Nooit meer zonder jou" was announced. The song was later translated from Dutch to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "On Top of the World".
Edsilia Francisca Rombley is a Dutch singer and television presenter. She began her career in 1995, as a member of the Dutch girl group Dignity. Rombley began her solo career in 1996, after winning the Dutch talent show Soundmixshow, later winning the European Soundmix Show as well the following year.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Aruba, which is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, have evolved remarkably in the past decades. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Aruba, but same-sex marriage is not legal. Same-sex couples with Dutch nationality must travel to the Netherlands or its special municipalities to get married and the legal protection of marriage is not unconditional. Since 1 September 2021, registered partnerships have been available to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.
The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Aruba:
Association football is the national sport of Aruba. Aruban football has been influenced and helped greatly by the national Royal Dutch Football Association over the years. The Aruba national team is normally placed near the bottom of the FIFA World Rankings System.
Edwin Bibiano Abath is an Aruban politician and former singer who served as Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba from 1 November 2009 to 13 November 2013. From 1999 until 2005 he was a Member of Parliament for the Aruban People's Party in the Estates of Aruba. He represented Aruba as a singer in the 1988 OTI Festival.
Afro-Arubans are Arubans who have predominantly African ancestry. Afro-Arubans are a minority ethnic group in Aruba, although many Arubans may have African ancestry. They speak Papiamento, an Afro-Portuguese language spoken in the ABC islands. The language dates back at least 300 years and is based on African linguistic structures combined with vocabulary from Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish. Like other Arubans, Afro-Arubans also speak Dutch, Spanish, English, as well as other languages.
Evelyna Christina "Evelyn" Wever-Croes is an Aruban politician and current Prime Minister of Aruba, serving since November 2017. She is the first woman to hold this office. She is a member of the People's Electoral Movement (MEP) and has been the leader of the party since 2011.
General elections were held in Aruba on 22 November 1985 to elect the Island Council. They were held shortly before Aruba was split from the Netherlands Antilles and obtained the status of a 'land' (country) within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Island Council was converted into the first Estates of Aruba on 1 January 1986.
Adriaan Walter Brokke, commonly known as Jani Brokke was an Aruban athlete who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games. He represented Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles in teams of football, basketball, baseball and tennis.
John William Merryweather was an Aruban landscape architect and politician. He served as the first Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba from 1986 until 1989.
