Aruba

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.

Economical characteristics

 * Currency: Aruban florin (ISO code: AWG)
 * Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2008)
 * Commercial banks lending rate: 11.23% (31 December 2008)
 * Stock of money (M1): $781 million (31 December 2008)
 * Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $890.3 million (31 December 2008)

Links

 * Aruba on Wikipedia
 * Central bank of Aruba
 * BBC country profile