Aruba History:
The island’s earliest inhabitants were Arawak Indians, who left behind red cave drawings and clay pottery and stone tools. After Aruba was claimed by Spain in 1499, it became a center of piracy and smuggling. In 1636 it was taken by the Dutch and occupied by the Dutch West India Company. As part of the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba came briefly under British rule during the Napoleonic Wars but was returned to the Netherlands in 1816.
The economy remained weak until an oil refinery was constructed at San Nicolas (Sint Nicolaas) in the 1920s, which raised the standard of living dramatically. Immigration from the rest of the Caribbean, the United States, Venezuela, and Europe contributed to a substantial increase in population. Despite its new economic strength, Aruba remained politically subordinated to the Antilles’ main island of Curaçao.
In 1986 Aruba obtained autonomous status, the result of a popular movement led by the People’s Electoral Movement (Movimento Electoral di Pueblo) to break away from Curaçaoan—rather than from Dutch—domination. In 1994 the Aruban government, in conjunction with the governments of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, decided to postpone indefinitely the transition to full independence.
Aruba, long a part of the Netherlands Antilles, began to actively seek independence or autonomy in the early 1970s. As part of that goal, Aruban leaders decided in 1976 to develop a national flag. Ideas solicited through a local design competition were reviewed, and from that process emerged the Aruban flag still in use. The flag was first hoisted on March 18, 1976. Aruba achieved status as an autonomous territory of the Netherlands in 1986 but subsequently chose not to seek full independence.
The blue of the field was chosen intentionally to match the shade used in the flag of the United Nations. The unique four-pointed star represents the four points of the compass and hence Aruba’s connections by air and sea from all directions. It also symbolizes the island itself—the red evoking the red clay of its soil, the white border representing the white sand beaches that ring it—as well as the pride Arubans have for their island and their struggle for liberty. The yellow stripes stand for tourism and industry, which provide the high standard of living enjoyed by the island’s people. Yellow also recalls the former gold industry and the brilliant yellow flowers found across the island.
