Research Project Topics

 After doing some research, I've found that Aruba has been through a lot in terms of ownership by other countries. 

Alonso de Ojeda, a Spanish explorer, first discovered the land and claimed it for the Spanish in 1499. He called it La Isla de Los Gigantes, which translates to the island of the giants. He called it this because it reflected the tall heights of the natives that lived there. 

But Aruba is an island scarce of natural resources. The one true thing that was in abundance on the island were the different kinds of cacti. They have little rain which leads to scarce vegetation. . Because of this, Aruba became apart of the Useless Islands, or Islas Inutiles, which included Bonaire and Curacao.  

Aruba was initially apart of the Netherlands Antilles, which consisted of five other islands. On January 1st, 1986, Aruba became its own entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba has its own constitution, and the King of the Netherlands appoints the governor of Aruba who holds office for a 6-year term. Aruba is autonomous. Aruba has a separate status, and the island's aviation, customs, immigration, and other internal matters are handled by the Aruban government. But the Kingdom handles defense, citizenship, and the island's foreign affairs. 

Since the island was scarce in natural resources, the history of the island and the present problems have been effected greatly. Some present day problems include the inability to properly dispose waste produced by large tourism. This leads to a plethora of problems including air pollution, ocean damage from plastic pollution, and acid rain. 


The fine arts in Aruba is a huge part of the island's culture. Artists in Aruba can be divided into two spheres; One sphere called noncommercial and the other directed at tourism and local recreation. Many noncommercial artists find inspiration in Aruba's history, tradition, and natural landscape. There is tension between the commercialization of art for the benefit of tourism and noncommercial purposes caused by a lack of funds and government policies. Aruba hosts an annual jazz and Latin music festival.



Works Cited:

“Aruba.” The Virtual Caribbean Library, ggccaribbean.wpengine.com/listing/aruba/.

“Aruba Environment - Current Issues.” Aruba Environment - Current Issues - Geography, www.indexmundi.com/aruba/environment_current_issues.html.

“Arubans - Religion and Expressive Culture.” Countries and Their Cultures, www.everyculture.com/Middle-America-Caribbean/Arubans-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html.

 “Aruba Government and Politics.” Www.visitaruba.com, www.visitaruba.com/about-aruba/general-aruba-facts/government-and-politics/.

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