General
Having poor soil and aridity, Aruba was saved from plantation economics and the slave trade. In 1515 the Spanish transported the entire population to Hispaniola to work in the copper mines; most were allowed to return when the mines were tapped out. The Dutch, who took control a century later, left the Arawaks to graze livestock, using the island as a source of meat for other Dutch possessions in the Caribbean. The Arawak heritage is stronger on Aruba than on most Caribbean islands. No full-blooded Aboriginals remain, but the features of the islanders clearly indicate their genetic heritage. The majority of the population is descended from Arawak, Dutch and Spanish ancestors. Recently there has been substantial immigration to the island from neighboring Latin American and Caribbean nations, attracted by the lure of well-paying jobs.
The two official languages are the Dutch language and the predominant, national, language Papiamento, which is classified as a Creole language. This creole language is formed primarily from 16th century Portuguese, and several other languages. Spanish and English are also spoken. Islanders can often speak four or more languages and are mostly Roman Catholic.
Population
101,541 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 9,933; female 9,747)
- 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 34,123; female 37,228)
- 65 years and over: 10.4% (male 4,189; female 6,321) (2008 est.)
Population growth rate
1.50% (2008 est.)Infant mortality rate
- total: 14.26 deaths/1,000 live births
- female: 9.51 deaths/1,000 live births
- male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 75.06 years
- male: 72.03 years
- female: 78.14 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate
- 1.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Ethnic groups
- mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
Languages
- Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%
- Dutch (official) 5.8%
- Spanish 12.6%
- English (widely spoken) 7.7%
- other 2.2%
- unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
Education expenditures
- 4.8% of GDP (2005)
The people
The mixture of ancestors has made the Arubians very warm, friendly and hospitable people. By the looks of the Arubians you can clearly see the indian ancestor, but also dutch and spanish characteristics. The indian looks however are not from the original Caiquetio indians but from the, later arrived, Guaijira indians from Venezuela and Colombia. Now there are about 40 different nationalities represented on Aruba.
