Aruba is a 32 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, 27 km north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela.
*** It is in the Realm of Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of a European part (The Netherlands) and a Caribbean-American part (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles).
Aruba's gained independence from the Netherlands Antilles on January 1, 1986, as an autonomous, self-governing member state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in preparation for its full independence in 1996
Together, the State of the Netherlands, the State of the Netherlands Antilles, and the State of Aruba form a Commonwealth.
As they share the same Dutch citizenship, these three countries still also share the Dutch passport as the Kingdom of the Netherlands passport. Aruba does still recognize a local citizenship for Aruba, and does reserve some privileges and rights for Arubans