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.
@ Beth, I was there that day. They looked WAY more than you think. There was no lack of effort. Again, I am a US citizen that was in Aruba for over a week. We got there the day she went missing and remained there for quite awhile after. Your statement was made in ignorance. It's a beautiful island and they did do everything they could.
Clarissa 3rd June 2009
Please make a correction. It is not written Arubinas, but Arubians. Thank you.
JMP 1st May 2009
@ Beth, what a useless statement. You are probabley one of those americans that wanted to ban Aruba from trading, which would have been funny because you would have banned almost all trade with the EU (due to blocking the kingdom of the Netherlands from trading) since Aruba is part of the kingdom of the Netherlands. And something else the US detectives that came to the island couldnt find her either could they? And still the amount of murders committed are way higher in the US.
@G, The Dutch captured the island from the Spanish, so the local population was non existent anymore, since they where killed or incorporated into the spanish colonial system.
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