Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Curaçao. In 1986, it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba.
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.
Jossy Mehsen Mansur was the editor of the Papiamento-language newspaper Diario in Aruba. He wrote two dictionaries for the Papiamento language and a history of Aruba among other books.
The official languages of the Caribbean island-state of Aruba are Papiamento and Dutch, but most Arubans speak a minimum of four languages, including English and Spanish. Schools require students to learn English, Spanish and to a lesser extent French and German. Portuguese, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Tagalog, Sranan Tongo and other languages are also spoken by smaller communities on the island. According to the Government of Aruba the mother tongue and primary language of almost all Arubans is Papiamento, an Afro-Portuguese Creole language with heavy Spanish influence spoken since the 16th century. The language, however, was not widespread in Aruba until the 18th and 19th centuries when most materials on the island and Roman Catholic schoolbooks were written in Papiamento.
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.
Caquetío are natives of northwestern Venezuela, living along the shores of Lake Maracaibo at the time of the Spanish conquest. They moved inland to avoid enslavement by the Spaniards, while their numbers were drastically affected by colonial warfare, as were their neighbours, the Quiriquire and the Jirajara. The Caquetíos were also present in Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire when these islands were first colonized by Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. The occupants of this region were known as Caquetíos by the Spaniards and their language (Caquetío) belongs to the Arawakan family of languages. The Caquetío and the Jirajara spoke the same language, and their cultures were quite similar. The Arawakan or Caquetío language is termed a "ghost" language because virtually no trace of it survives. Only the name remains, saved in 17th-century texts.
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.
The 2019 Pan American Games, officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as Lima 2019, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization held in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019, with preliminary rounds in certain events having begun on July 24, 2019. These were the first Pan American Games to be held in Peru, and the seventh to be held in South America.
Philipine van Aanholt is a female sailor from Curaçao, competing mainly in the Laser Radial class. She is a two-time Women World Champion in non-Olympic classes. In 2008 and 2009 she was chosen Curaçao's Youth Sports Women of the year. After the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands Antilles lost its recognition by the International Olympic Committee following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, van Aanholt was allowed to participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics as an Independent Olympic Athlete. In 2016, she represented neighboring island Aruba at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was Aruba's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games. In 2023, she won silver in the Sunfish class at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Tara Pacheco van Rijnsoever is a Spanish sports sailor. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the Women's 470 class with Berta Betanzos. At the 2016 Olympics, she and Fernando Echavarri competed in the Nacra 17 class.
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 creole language commonly spoken on 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.
Aruba competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.
Allyson Roxanne Ponson is an Aruban swimmer. She holds the national record in 50 and 100 metre freestyle and 50 metre backstroke. In 2011, she was named Aruban Athlete of the Year. She placed 45th in the 50 metre freestyle event at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tanja Chiara Frank is an Austrian competitive sailor.
Thijs Visser is an Aruban sailor. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the Nacra 17 race with Nicole van der Velden; the two placed 16th.
Aruba competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics eight times since the 1988 Games. The delegation consisted of a single short-distance swimmer, Jesus De Marchena Acevedo, who qualified for the Games by using a wildcard. He was chosen as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony and was disqualified from the first discipline he took part in, men's 50 metres freestyle (S7), for arriving late but later placed last overall in the 100 metres freestyle (S7).
Juan Alfonso Boekhoudt is an Aruban politician serving as the 4th governor of Aruba since 2017. He previously served as minister plenipotentiary from 14 November 2013 to 17 November 2016.
Aruba made its Paralympic Games debut at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, sending one athlete to compete in a swimming event. Aruba has never taken part in the Winter Paralympic Games, and no Aruban athlete has won a Paralympic medal.
Aruba competed at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019.
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.
