Aruba:
Geography

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Background	Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. 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. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.

Location	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates	12 30 N, 69 58 W
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean
Area	total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	68.5 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate	tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain	flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural resources	NEGL; white sandy beaches
Land use	arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)
Irrigated land	0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Environment - current issues	NA
Geography - note	a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)