Talk:Aruba

Link suggestions

Someone deal with the "Lugo" references at the end of the History article.

An automated Wikipedia link suggester has some possible wiki link suggestions for the Aruba article:

• Can link Council of Ministers: ...rnment]] is the prime minister who forms, together with the Council of Ministers, the [[executive branch]] of the government. ... (link to section)
• Can link tropical climate: ..., riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches. Its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the [[Atlantic Oc... (link to section)
• Can link above sea level: ... The highest point in Aruba is [[Mount Jamanota]], at 188 m above sea level. ... (link to section)
• Can link Deficit spending: ...e agriculture and manufacturing industries remain minimal. Deficit spending has been a staple in Aruba's history and modestly high infl... (link to section)
• Can link monetary policy: ...been present as well, although recent efforts at tightening monetary policy may correct this. Aruba receives some development aid from ... (link to section)
• Can link exchange rate: ... Dutch government each year. The Aruban guilder has a fixed exchange rate with the [[United States dollar]] of 1.78:1.... (link to section)
• Can link slave trade: ...ty. This saved the island from plantation economics and the slave trade. The Dutch left the Arawaks to graze livestock,using the is... (link to section)
• Can link Caribbean islands: ...bean. The Arawak heritage is stronger on Aruba than on most Caribbean islands. No full-blooded Indians remain, but the features of the is... (link to section)
• Can link American culture: ...United States has recently also increased the visibility of American culture on the island. [[Queen Beatrix International Airport]], loc... (link to section)
• Can link Latin American: ...s an important one in Aruba, as it is in many Caribbean and Latin American countries. Carnival is usually held from the beginning of ... (link to section)

Notes: The article text has not been changed in any way; Some of these suggestions may be wrong, some may be right.
Feedback: I like it, I hate it, Please don't link to — LinkBot 11:32, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Caribbean Wikipedians' notice board

I would like to announce the establishment of the Wikipedia:Caribbean Wikipedians' notice board. Anyone with an interest in the Caribbean is welcome to join in. Guettarda 1 July 2005 13:37 (UTC)

History

There is something wrong with the following sentence, at least grammatically: Movement toward full independence by 1996 was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. The Gnome 03:22, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Why? It means "the [movement to achieve independency by 1996] was halted [at Aruba's request in 1990]". Where's the problem? —Nightstallion (?) 13:01, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Why does the history of submarine U156 in Aruba contradict with the wikipedia entry for the submarine? Under the U156 wiki entry it says the ship was sank off the coast of Barbados and everyone died. In the Aruba history it says it was sunk when the crew was sunbathing and one person survived. What's going on here? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.190.43.106 (talk) 13:27, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

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As a schoolmate in the late 1960's of a Aruban, I know there was considerable civil unrest which, I believe, leant impetus to the move towards independence. If this were a travel brouchure, I'd understand the omission. As it is supposedly "history" it is disappointingly censored, sanitized and whitewashed, IMHO.71.31.154.4 (talk) 21:08, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

Natalee Holloway

I removed the Natalee Holloway reference from the short summary of Aruba's history in the main page. Not only is this totally US-centric (it hasn't been "in the news" at all outside of the US) but I hardly think the incident is even close to having enough significance that a island with an entire millennium of history should have an entire third of a summary of said history devoted to it. --Jamieli 18:25, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

FWIW: I agree. A sad event but insignificant in a broad view. See Missing white woman syndrome. MH 18:59, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

I removed the Holloway part from Miscellaneous, there are over 200000 unsolved murder cases in the USA, how 'bout we put the names of those missing/murdered people on the main pages of the USA or their states? Dont think so...... Superdude99 17:33, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

I heard someone go missing in New York last month. Quick everyone, everyone lets all boycott New York City!

The idea of a boycott on Aruba- is just as effective as- if the EU threatened to boycott a part of the USA like Puerto Rico. The circumstance for this one missing person was- tragic but really-- get a grip! Why did this school not have a buddy--system implemented for their students before they turned them all loose to get drunk in a bar and go driving all over without any clue of taking care of their student's well being???? Would the school have turned a class full of students loose in any major US city without any supervision? CaribDigita 08:57, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

The Holloway case has certainly put Aruba in the news and, perhaps, generated many page views for this page. A nation of 300,000,000+ people who are interested in this girl, regardless of white woman syndrome, and want to know more about this speck of an island, 100,000 strong, and to not mention this case, is ridiculous. This case has put Aruba on the map. Why not have a mention of it somewhere? User:caminari 01:12, 1 May 2007 (UTC+9)

Well I certainly disagree. The Holloway case has mainly generated considerable attention in the news in the U.S., Aruba and the Netherlands, not in the rest of the world, certainly not as much as in the three mentioned countries. People who are interested in this topic can also visit the page Natalee Holloway, when they use the search function, they can find it easily. This news will fade in people's memories as other news does too. It is not important on a big scale. And for example the Virginia Tech Massacre is also not mentioned on the articles on the United States and Virginia, so I don't see why this topic need coverage in the Aruba article. Peter Maas\^talk 17:28, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

I live in Australia, and it's made the news down here, more than once. What was the last thing about Aruba that made news all around the world? This is notable, and should be put back in. Wikipedia isn't here to only focus on the positives. --Commking (talk) 23:53, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps just a "See also" Entry with a link to the Natalee Holloway article? --Commking (talk) 09:10, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

No, unfortunate as it is, it is simply too insignificant to be covered in a general article like this. --Reinoutr (talk) 18:02, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

The Natalee Holloway article became a Featured Article a few days ago. It meets notability requirements - so who decides it needs to meet "significant" requirements, and what are they exactly, and where are they defined? A link to the article, as a footnote, in "See Also" surely isn't a big deal? I agree it doesn't need any text in the article. --Commking (talk) 18:43, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

It just isn't a significant part of Aruban history. We don't have a See Also in New York City for Kitty Genovese, nor in Death Valley for Charles Manson. Places don't have links to the crimes committed therein.—Kww(talk) 18:57, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

True that it is not a historically significant event, in the long term at least - putting it in the history section would be the wrong place. But to claim that it not significant to Aruba at all is crazy - there was a well publicised call to boycott the island totally for gods sake - plus enough material to sell Aruban newspapers for months and even years on end. I take your point regarding Charles Manson and Kitty Genovese - but I am concerned that ignoring the Natalee Holloway totally is not NPOV (this article is not meant to read like a tourist brochure and focus purely on positives). --Commking (talk) 02:07, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

I don't think the article come across as anything but neutral right now. I've got nothing against the Holloway story. If you go look on its talk page, you'll see that I'm listed as one of the editors that actively maintains the article. A See Also is supposed to be directed towards articles that will help improve your understanding of article you are reading, and nothing about the Holloway article does that. It isn't a major part of Aruban history.—Kww(talk) 02:15, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Exactly, what would a reader expect from an article dealing with a country? Information about its history, geography, demographics, stuff like that. If there should be anything about crime, it would be general crime statistics, not something about a single event similar to those happening in other countries all over the world all the time. --Reinoutr (talk) 07:00, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

The article is Aruba - not the rest of the world - events like this do happen all over the world "all the time", but not in Aruba - that's why it's significant. Taking it out of Aruba just because it is common in the USA for example is silly. Just because it's common in other countries does not make it insignificant in Aruba. This was the biggest news item in Aruba for years - but it can't be mentioned, because it's common elsewhere? Putting it in "See Also" will help the reader understand more about Aruba - because it will convey to the reader that Aruba is in effect kinda like a small town, and this was a major incident for them, even if it was not a big deal for everybody else. --Commking (talk) 17:49, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

I am sorry, but even the featured article Natalee Holloway does not discuss anywhere the big impact you claim this incident had on Aruba. A link to that article from here will therefore not inform the reader that it is "in effect kinda like a small town, and this was a major incident for them", because that article doesn't say that anywhere (in those words or in any other words for that matter). --Reinoutr (talk) 21:12, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Let me get this straight - A murder of a foreign tourist, in a country with a population of 100,000 is NOT a big deal there? It is NOT notable? I didn't realise Aruba was so dangerous and had such a high murder rate. I suspect this is not true. Can you provide references? --Commking (talk) 23:05, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Don't twist people's words. No one is arguing that it isn't notable ... the article about it is a featured article. In terms of important events in a country's history, crimes generally don't qualify, so it doesn't warrant mention in this particular article.—Kww(talk) 23:11, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Most of the work force for the country was ordered to leave work early, with no pay, to help the search effort. IMHO that is quite significant. I strongly feel that this event should at least be noted somewhere on the page.72.188.249.120 (talk) 00:58, 30 April 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps this subject should be revisited? This is a story that hasn't gone away, and given the claims being made in the international media about the Aruban justice system in the wake of van der Sloot's second murder and subsequent arrest, I think it should probably be addressed here. As it stands, this page looks whitewashed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.125.150.1 (talk) 19:35, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

I disagree, while the story is a big deal now, thanks to CNN, in the history of the country itself it's not worthy of mention aside from Joran being a notable Aruban. Should we put Amy Lynn Bradley in this article too?[1] Oh wait, did everyone forget Amy? White American girl, missing off her cruise ship while docked in Aruba in 1998? Last seen at Carlos’ and Charlie’s Bar on the night of their disapearance. Was featured on Dr. Phil? No? I guess because CNN isn't covering it daily anymore it's not notable enough to be included in the article of a country anymore? I think I made my point. --Yankees76 (talk) 15:17, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

Spoken version

I didn't have much to do, so I created a spoken word version of this artical, it's my first attempt at a spoken word artical. It took longer to make then I thought it would. I hope people find it useful. --dirtyliberal 05:36, 15 August 2005 (UTC)

Papiemento

My error, sorry.

Motto

According to everything I've found on the web, the motto "One Happy Island" isn't actually a national motto, it only appears on taxi license plates. I've removed the motto; feel free to revert if I'm wrong. Pruneau^T 20:43, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

it should not be called a motto, I think, but there is an official message communicated through the Aruba Touorism Authority. Since Aruba's tourism is an important economic factor, this message is used in all kinds of communication, not just on taxi's. In fact there is recently a new 'slogan' (which I would prefer to call it) developed. This slogan is, however, not official yet, so I will not mention it until it's announced. Blonkm 15:05, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

no disputes...

how come nobody ever disputed this occupation of south american /central american territory ? no minister said anything political about it ever ? Amoruso 01:36, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

I don't see why. It's just been sooo long ago now. And the 'rumors' about Venezuela being interested to occupy Aruba are just that: rumors. Blonkm 14:05, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

True, it has indeed been so long ago and their are not territorial disputed with other countries (the Venezuela issue was indeed a rumour). The movement toward full independence by 1996 was postponed upon the request of Aruba's prime minister, Nelson O. Oduber, in 1990. It was decided to postpone Aruba's independence date until the people decide otherwise through a referendum. So I don't think you can speak about "occupation" in this case. Aruba is now an independent, self-governing member state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Peter Maas\^talk 17:50, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

External links restructured

I have put some new links in the section and organized it as well. There may be too many links in there, but I think at least it's nicely organized. Some links may fit into a more specific article text on the subject. Like e.g. Central Bank had a lot of critics in the government, and Setar was recently made semi-private, getting an important competitor in the form of Digicel. I also removed some obvious personal links ('one couples guide to aruba') and replaced them with more established local tourism guides. Blonkm 14:03, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

Proposed WikiProject

There is now a proposed WikiProject for the Caribbean area, including Aruba, at Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Proposals#Caribbean. Interested parties should add their names there so we can determine if there is enough interest to start such a project in earnest. Thank you for your attention. Badbilltucker 16:53, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Remove sentence

I removed the following sentence because it is not grammatical and it is unreferenced:

Islanders can often speak four or more languages and their culture and customs.

-- Beland 01:19, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Carnival/Karnaval

Do Arubans really call it "Carnival"? We celebrate "Karnaval" here on Bonaire. Kww 23:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Carnival is the "English" name of this festival. In the Netherlands (the European part of the kingdom), and thus in Dutch (one of the official languages of Aruba) this festival is called "Carnaval" or like on Bonaire "Karnaval". Peter Maas\^talk 17:42, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

arubaplaza

The link to arubaplaza.com has been put in and taken out several times. I have looked at it, and feel that, while it is an advertiser supported site, it is mainly an informational site and is appropriate to the article. Before I revert it back in, I'd like to discuss it. Kww 17:23, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

BIAS

is it me or is this section:

In 1515, the first Spanish Governor of this region, Alonso de Ojeda, who married a native American, had the entire population transported to Hispaniola where they all had to learn the fifteenth century vulgar "Spanish" spoken there and work in the copper mines; most were allowed to return when the mines were tapped out.

The Dutch, who took control almost two centuries later, left the Arawaks, who spoke the "broken Spanish"

sounds VERY BIASED. What makes their spanish to be vulgar? vulgar means "indecent; obscene; lewd". this sounds like an opinion, NOT A FACT. someone please rewrite this as it has a undertone of bias or superiority in it. Adreamtonight 05:43, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

It's you. The references to "vulgar Spanish" and "broken Spanish" are quotes, and are probably references to one of the predecessors of Papiamento (which is a fine language, but not good Spanish). Kww 10:14, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

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those literate in English beyond a certain age recognize that "vulgar" does not mean what adream claims. "vulgar" in modern 'everyman' usage does indeed usually refer to the distasteful, however its older, and still used, meaning is "common".71.31.154.4 (talk) 21:00, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

---

Vulgar doesn't mean "indecent; obscene; lewd" in this instance, it means common, or of the common people (as in Vulgar Latin). A dictionary is not the equivalent to knowledge. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.42.212.199 (talk) 21:36, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

Alonso de Ojeda's bride

I removed text referring to Alonso de Ojeda marrying a "Native American". I tried to find out what tribe she may have belonged to so that I could be specific, but could find no reference to the marriage at all. If someone can find a reference for this, it should be reinstated with a specific tribal identity.

Aruba not North American

Aruba is accreting to the South American plate, leaving the Caribbean plate. It isn't on, or even particularly near, North America.

http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2007/2006TC002028.shtml

http://www.ig.utexas.edu/bolivar/summary/index.htm

You should look again at your reference http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm . It doesn't include Aruba as a part of North America either. It groups it into "Latin America and the Caribbean".

I think the best description of the "National Geographic" reference is "an error." Kww 12:16, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm sorry, you are somewhat mistaken. Neither of your links indicate specifically/explicitly that Aruba is a part of South America, only that it may lie on the South American plate or elaborate about its physiography (e.g, part of the Leeward Antilles). That is not in dispute, but the West Indies are conventionally grouped with North America. In the UN link provided, Aruba is included in the Caribbean and a note further elaborates: "The continent of North America (003) comprises Northern America (021), Caribbean (029), and Central America (013)." And the National Geographic reference is certainly not an error. As well, this map of North America from the Atlas of Canada indicates the same (as opposed to that of South America, which does not). Until you can provide reliable sources as I have, it is you who may be in error and need to look again. Corticopia 14:31, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

The UN reference is just invalid, since the UN geographical scheme clearly indicates that it was created for statistical propuses and that the inclusion of any member state in a particular subregion doesn't mean anything. Kww, I'd recommend you to read the article about the UN geographical scheme. AlexCovarrubias ^{( Talk? )} 15:52, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Your map of "North America" also includes Venezuela and Columbia, so it isn't much of a reference, and you can clearly see Aruba at the top of the map of South America. Being on the South American plate puts Aruba in South America ... there is no suitable substitute criterion. Reverting your ludicrous claim.Kww 19:55, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

It is clear you are willfully blind to clear references; the Atlas of Canada maps clearly delineate what is where but, of course, other references say the same thing. As well, your assertion that being on x plate puts it on x is nonsensical: if that were true, half of Russia would be part of North America. Anyhow, unless compelled otherwise, I will be correcting your ludicrous reversions in due course. Corticopia 00:37, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

What does this mean?

I find the following quote from the text (section History, second paragraph, last sentence.) rather illogical:

In another letter he described a small island inhabited by very large people, which the expedition thought was not inhabited.

Were "the large people" not "inhabited"?? Did "the expedition" first or continuously believe the island not to be inhabited, while Vespucci found out they were wrong? Please eludicate!-- JoergenB (talk) 17:49, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

I also found this to be very strange. Marzolian (talk) 03:19, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

Aruban florin

Is there a list of "world's smallest countries with own currency"? Should Aruba be on it, if not at the top? Martinevans123 (talk) 18:30, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Why would the Aruban florin be higher then the Gibraltar pound? Nil Einne (talk) 20:32, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

History is different from Papiamento

There is a discreptincy between this page on Papiamento on the demographics of Aruba

This page states T"he Dutch took control almost two centuries after the Spanish, and left the Arawaks to farm and graze livestock, and used 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."

While the Papiamento page states "In 1634, the Dutch-based West India Company (WIC) took possession of the islands, deporting most of the small remaining Arawak and Spanish population to the continent, and turned them into the hub of the Dutch slave trade between Africa and the Caribbean"

These two seem is state two completely different things.Can anyone clear this up without it becoming a revert war? Monre (talk) 01:19, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

There isn't a big discrepancy (only 65 years or so). The islands were claimed by the Spanish in 1499, the Dutch took over in 1634. More Arawaks were left on Aruba than on Bonaire and Curacao, and that is indeed visible in the population today. The Arawak influence on Aruba is quite strong, and from appearance, people would describe most of Aruba's population as mestizo, not mulatto like most islands. I'll fix the "almost two centuries."Kww (talk) 01:34, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Photos

Can somebody download photos of Alto Visto church and University of Aruba to Wikimedia Commons?Mheidegger (talk) 13:50, 16 September 2008 (UTC)

Photo of sunset

Just want to point out that the sunset picture has nothing particular todo with Aruba, it can be a sunset anywhere in the world. It's nice though. /80.216.90.149 (talk) 18:24, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

tourism boycotts and such

did Aruba ever take a hit in tourism from the Natalee Holloway murder? I know lots of people were promoting a boycott a while back. As a reader I'm curios to know how the tourism numbers have fared over the last 5 years. Is there a graph anywhere that might show number of tourists over the last 10 or 20 years? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.38.208.30 (talk) 20:42, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

Who's that

Hello fellows!

Can anybody identify this female singer? The image was taken on Aruba. Thanks. --High Contrast (talk) 10:42, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Papiamento inconsistency

This article says, "The official languages are Dutch and – since 2003 – Papiamento." The Papiamento article states, "In the Netherlands Antilles, Papiamentu was made an official language on March 7, 2007. After its dissolution, the language's official status was confirmed in the Caribbean Netherlands, until January 1, 2011; since then it has been recognised as a language on Bonaire only." I'm not sure if this article is just six years out of date. Henry^Flower 04:10, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

Aruba hasn't been a part of the Netherlands Antilles since 1986, and is not a part of the Caribbean Netherlands: it's just a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is in the Caribbean. Yes, it's highly confusing. When I lived on Bonaire, I wound up explaining it to guests on a daily basis.—Kww(talk) 04:30, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. it has been recognised as a language on Bonaire only seems ambiguous: it could mean 'Bonaire is the only place where it is recognised as a language', or 'Bonaire is the only place in the Caribbean Netherlands where it is recognised. Do you know of any offical information as to its status in Aruba? Henry^Flower 13:20, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

I've tweaked the language in Papiamentu. http://books.google.com/books?id=4SMLb6hKv4YC&lpg=PT276&dq=aruba%20official%20language%20Papiamento&pg=PT276#v=onepage&q=aruba%20official%20language%20Papiamento&f=false is as good of a source as you are going to find.—Kww(talk) 17:27, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

Cheers. :) 13:56, 29 January 2013 (UTC)