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Aruba Factbook
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.
Source: CIA World Factbook 2005
(In general, information available as of 10 January 2006 was used in the preparation of this edition.)
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