ArubaPaige

**[[file:aaAAaAruba stufff.doc]]**
- Aruba flag

Aruba Precious Country Aruba beloved home our venerated cradle though small and simple you may be you are indeed esteemed. Refrain: Aruba our dear country our rock so well beloved our love for you is so strong that nothing can destroy it. (repeat) Your beaches so much admired with palm trees all adorned your coat of arms and flag the symbols of our pride. Refrain: The greatness of our people is their great cordiality and may God guide and preserve its love for freedom.
 * [|English Translation of lyrics]**


 * Political Map**



[|Relative Location]: on the Caribbean sea, North of Venezuela [|Capital]: Oranjestad, location northwest of Santa Cruz [|Major Cities]: Oranjestad, Sabaneta, Santa Cruz, Barcadera, Sint Nicolas
 * Location**


 * Physical Map**




 * Physical Features**

**-** Natural Bridge

- Cave

- Natural Pool


 * [|Weather Map/Weather Forecast]**
 * Saturday || Sunday || Monday || Tuesday || Wednesday ||
 * [[image:http://icons-aa.wunderground.com/graphics/conds/mostlysunny.GIF width="44" height="44"]]86° F | 78° F 30° C | 26° C || [[image:http://icons-aa.wunderground.com/graphics/conds/chancerain.GIF width="44" height="44"]]86° F | 78° F 30° C | 26° C || [[image:http://icons-aa.wunderground.com/graphics/conds/mostlysunny.GIF width="44" height="44"]]86° F | 78° F 30° C | 26° C || [[image:http://icons-aa.wunderground.com/graphics/conds/mostlysunny.GIF width="44" height="44"]]86° F | 78° F 30° C | 26° C || [[image:http://icons-aa.wunderground.com/graphics/conds/mostlysunny.GIF width="44" height="44"]]84° F | 77° F 29° C | 25° C ||
 * Scattered Clouds || Chance of Rain **20%** chance of precipitation || Scattered Clouds || Scattered Clouds || Scattered Clouds ||

Tropical Marine, little seasonal, and temperate variation
 * [|Climate]**


 * Cultural Pictures**

- Childrens carnival

- Cultural dancing

- Latin dance famous in Aruba


 * Art and Monument**

- Art

- Monument

Chief of state: Queen Beatrix Head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. Oduber - Queen Beatrix **-** Prime Minister Nelson O. Oduber
 * [|Government Leaders]**

[|**Currency**] (AWG)

71,891 (July 2006 est.)
 * [|Population]**

-Dutch (official) -Spanish -English
 * [|Languages]**

-Roman Catholic 82% -Protestant 8% -Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish 10%
 * [|Religions]**

Male: 75.95 years (2006 est.) Female: 82.78 years (2006 est.)
 * [|Life Expectancy]**

[|**Literacy Rate**] Total: 97% (our reaserch didn't find the difference between men and women)

(Only 3 major ethnic groups) -White -Caribbean -Dutch
 * [|Ethnic Group]**

1. Government type: parliamentary democracy 2. National holiday: Flag day, March 18 3. Birth rate: 11.03 births/ 1,000 population (2006 est.) 4. Land: 193 square km 5. Water: 0 squared km 6. Population growth rate: 0.44% (2006 est.) 7. Death rate: 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 8. Lowest point in Aruba: Caribbean Sea 0 m 9. Highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m 10. Coastline: 68.5 km
 * [|Staticstics]**

-on September 2 ,2005 the natural bridge colapsed
 * __[|Timeline]__**
 * 1816** - Island is returned to the Netherlands after coming under British rule during the Napoleonic Wars.
 * 1929** - Oil refinery is established at San Nicolaas.
 * 1954** - Aruba becomes part of the autonomous federation of the Netherlands Antilles.
 * 1971** - People's Electoral Movement party (MEP) is founded and begins its campaign for independence and separation from the Netherlands Antilles federation.
 * 1977** - March - Referendum: 82% of voters support independence and withdrawal from the Antillean federation.
 * 1983** - Dutch and Netherlands Antilles governments agree that Aruba should receive separate status from 1986, aiming for independence by 1996.
 * 1986** - 1 January - Island obtains autonomous status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
 * 1991** - Oil refining resumes.
 * 1994** - At a convention in The Hague, the governments of Aruba, the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles postpone indefinitely Aruba's transition to full independence.
 * 1996** - Aruba is included on US list of major drug-producing or transit countries.
 * 2000** - Aruba is named as one of 35 "non-cooperative tax havens" by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is later removed from the list having promised greater openness.
 * 2003** - Aruba, US agree to exchange tax data to help combat money-laundering.

[|Major resources exported]: live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, and transport equipment. [|Cost of flight]: $488, Continental Airline flight 1640, one week round trip, Feb. 2007. [|Foreign countries that ruled at one point]: Spain ruled first in 1499 and then the Dutch/ Netherlands, took over and now still rules Aruba.
 * Movement**

[|Aruba located in Latin America]: Aruba is located in the Leeward Antilles and are a chain of islands in the Caribbean. Aruba is along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just north of the Venezuelan coast of the South American mainland. [|Hemisphere]: Aruba is located in the western hemisphere.
 * Region**

media type="youtube" key="oOUN0QeOUqQ" type="youtube" key="oOUN0QeOUqQ" - Video of Scuba diving on the Antilla shipwreck