The
Caribbean island of Aruba is a part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, but on this date in 1948, a leader named Shon Eman
presented a petition with more than 2000 signatures, asking for
independence for Aruba. It took almost 30 years to win independence
(called “status aparte”) through a peaceful process. Now Aruba
celebrates March 18th as its national day.
There
was a contest held to design Aruba's flag, and a committee chose
elements repeated in many different designs – a star to represent
the island, liberty, and rebirth; stripes to represent the sun's
rays, and Aruba's path as it moved from being part of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands to “status aparte”; and a blue field to represent
both the blue sky and the Caribbean Sea. This design was easy for
kids to draw and color, yet symbolic of things important to Aruba,
and it was easy to pick out among other flags (some flags, like
Italy's and Ireland's, are a lot-a lot alike!).
The
other national symbol honored today is the national anthem, “Aruba,
Precious Country.”
Do
you know...?
- What is the official language of Aruba?
- Aruba is quite warm, which is not surprising, since this Caribbean island is quite close to the equator. Do you think it is humid and covered with jungles, or dry and cactus-strewn?
- Aruba is quite close to two other islands, Bonaire and Curacao. What is the group of the three islands called?
- What continent and country are closest to Aruba?
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| This weird tree is a Dividivi tree. |
ANSWERS:
1.Dutch
– and also Papiamento
2.Aruba
is dry, what is called semi-arid. This is good for tourism, because
tourists can count on warm, dry, sunny days, and it is also a benefit
that Aruba is out of the hurricane zone.
3.The
three islands are called the ABC Islands.
4.Aruba
is off the coast of Venezuela, in South America.
Also
on this date:
Flag of Aruba
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