Aruba

Population 109,000

Area 75 sq miles (193 sq km)

Major languages Dutch (official), Papiamento

Major religion Christianity

Life expectancy 73 years (men), 78 years (women)

Currency Aruban guilder

Head of state: The King of the Netherlands, represented by a governor.

Prime Minister: Mike Eman

Aruba is located off the Paraguana peninsula of Venezuela and is 30 km (19 miles) long and about 8 km (5 miles) wide with an area of 193 sq km (75 sq miles). It maintains a population of 101,000. Its two primary economic hubs are tourism and offshore banking and the country has a gross domestic product of $2.51 billion.

Communication
There are five languages spoken in Aruba, predominantly Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), which is spoken by more than two-thirds of Aruba. The other languages include Spanish, English and Dutch.
The way an Aruban will communicate with you depends upon how well they know you. If they are very familiar with whom you are then they will tend to be more direct and less evasive in the topic at hand. It is also important to maintain direct eye contact throughout a conversation as it is considered good manners.

Dress Code
Despite being entrenched with good weather, it is not appropriate to wear jeans, shorts or sandals. In fact, business attire for men consists of suits, conservative shirts and ties, while for women it is necessary to wear dresses, blouses and a jacket with heeled-shoes.

Greetings
It is absolutely imperative to say good morning, afternoon and/or evening when arriving and to say have a good day/after/night when leaving. If these words are not uttered then you will be considered quite rude, and perhaps already labeled as an uncouth person to ignore.

Professional Titles & Business Cards
The common titles to iterate are Mr. and Mrs. followed by the person’s last name.

When it comes to business cards, there are no outlined rules, but it is believed that when a card is given then it should be treated with the utmost respect. This means that it shouldn’t be bent, ripped or tossed aside but rather placed inside a wallet and kept in a pristine condition.

Punctuality
Although Arubans aren’t strict for time and don’t view a schedule as unyielding, there is still an unwritten rule whereby a person is provided with a 15- to 20-minute leeway. Once that time is up then there should be notice provided. In other words, be prompt for an appointment, and if you’re late then offer a sufficient reason.

Aruba may have an advantage over most people who are confined to the climate of harsh cold and brutal snowstorms, but they do maintain some of the same customs that most Westerners abide by today: prompt, polite and professional.

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