Oranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country. In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is often referred to simply as "Playa". As of 2015, the population of the capital was around 35,000.
Aruba sent a delegation to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece from 13 to 29 August 2004. The delegation's participation in the Athens Olympics marked Aruba's fifth appearance at the Summer Olympics since the Dutch colony's debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Four athletes competed across three sports. None of the track or swimming athletes advanced past the first round in their events, and as of Athens, no Arubans had medaled in any events. Roshendra Vrolijk bore Aruba's flag at the ceremonies.
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.
The florin is the currency of Aruba. It is subdivided into 100 cents. The florin was introduced in 1986, replacing the Netherlands Antillean guilder at par. Although the Aruban florin is pegged to the United States dollar at the rate of 1.79 florin per USD, the commonly used street value is at 1.75 florin per USD.
Aruba competed in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Previously, Aruba was part of Netherlands Antilles, Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1986. Eight competitors, four men and four women, took part in ten events in five sports.
Natalee Ann Holloway was an American woman whose disappearance made international news after she vanished on May 30, 2005, while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba in the Caribbean. Holloway lived in Mountain Brook, Alabama, and graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip. Her disappearance caused a media sensation in the United States, and the case remains unsolved.
Aruban Division di Honor or Campeonato AVB Aruba Bank is the top level association football league in Aruba. It is overseen by the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond and was created in 1960. Up to and including 1985, the top clubs from Aruba also entered the Kopa Antiano for the championship of the Netherlands Antilles, SV Racing Club Aruba and SV Estrella were the only Aruban teams to win that championship in 1965 and 1970.
The Kingdom Games were a multi-sport event that was held every two years between the youth of the countries that were part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At the final edition in 2009, these countries were the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The 2010 dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles led to the cancellation of the 2011 and 2013 editions of the Games, and ultimately the Games were discontinued in 2014.
Aruba competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Their participation marked their sixth Olympic appearance, and included the smallest number of athletes that had ever represented Aruba in its history. Two Arubans competed in the Olympic games: Jan Roodzant participated as a swimmer, and Fiderd Vis participated in judo. The Aruban delegation arrived in Beijing between August 1 and August 4, including the athletes, coaches, and various officials from both the IOC and the Aruban Olympic Committee, Aruba's local Olympic committee. Fiderd Vis came to Beijing on special invitation from the IOC, which had observed his progress while he trained in Brazil. Vis was the flagbearer in the opening ceremony, while Roodzant was so in the closing ceremony. Both athletes were eliminated in the preliminary rounds on August 12, 2008; consequently, Aruba did not earn any medals.
Miss Aruba is a national beauty pageant in Aruba.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with the large majority of its territory in Western Europe and with several small island territories in the Caribbean Sea, in the West Indies islands.
Aruba requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. The island is one of the last jurisdictions in the world to continue issuing new plates each year rather than showing re-validation through stickers or other documentation.
Aruba Networks, formerly known as Aruba Wireless Networks, is a Santa Clara, California-based wireless networking subsidiary of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise.
A common visa exists since the end of 2010 for the territories of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands which form together the territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. The visa is not valid for the European part of the Netherlands, which is part of the Schengen Area.
Aruba competed at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 14 to 30, 2011. Aruba competed with seventeen athletes in five sports.
Gillain Berry is a Jamaican-Aruban model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Aruba 2010 on December 4, 2010 and represented her country in Miss Universe 2011 and Miss World 2011.
Señorita Aruba is the national Beauty pageant in Aruba. The two brands; Miss Teen Aruba and Srta. Aruba are registered and are under management of Miss Aruba Foundation
