Located on the southern coast, near the western end of the island, Oranjestad, the capital and largest city of Aruba, had formed around Fort Zoutman shortly after it was built in 1796. Initially it had no official name, being known only as the town on the Bay of Horses (Paardenbaai in Dutch). Later was named after the first King Willem van Oranje-Nassau (William of Orange-Nassau) - the first heir to the Dutch House of Orange. The name was conferred on the city in the 1820s when interest in Aruba increased due to the discovery of (alluvial) gold deposits.
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