Aruba

Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is an island constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) north-west of Curaçao. In 1986, Aruba became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and acquired the official name. Aruba has an area of 179 square kilometres (69.1 sq mi), and measures 32 kilometres (20 mi) in length from its north-western to its south-eastern end and is 10 kilometres (6 mi) across at its widest point. Aruba is geologically located in South America, lying on the South American continental shelf. Alongside Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms part of an island group referred to as the ABC islands. The Dutch Caribbean encompasses the ABC islands along with the other three substantial islands, the SSS islands. In contrast to much of the Caribbean, which experiences humid tropical climates, Aruba has a dry climate with an arid xeric landscape. The relatively warm and sunny weather persists throughout the year. With a population of 108,880, Aruba is home to about one-third of the total population of the Dutch Caribbean. As one of the four countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, alongside the Netherlands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, Aruba shares Dutch nationality with its citizens. Aruba lacks administrative subdivisions but is divided into eight regions for census purposes with Oranjestad as its capital.