Aruba's first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe.
Fragments of the earliest known Indian settlements date back to about 1000 A.D. Spanish
explorer Alonso de Ojeda is regarded as the first European to arrive in about 1499.
The Spanish garrison on Aruba dwindled following the Dutch capture of nearby Bonaire and
Curacao in 1634. The Dutch occupied Aruba shortly thereafter, and retained control for
nearly two centuries. In 1805, during the Napoleonic wars, the English briefly took
control over the island, but it was returned to Dutch control in 1816.
A 19th-century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of
an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry.
In 1986 Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles and became a separate, autonomous
member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at
Aruba's prerogative in 1990. Aruba has a mixture of people from South America and Europe,
the Far East, and other islands of the Caribbean.
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
|
