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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
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. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island in the
Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
12 30 N, 69 58 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America and the
Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger than
Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial sea:
12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical marine; little
seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: |
flat with a few hills; scant
vegetation |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
| Natural
resources: |
NEGL; white sandy beaches |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 7%
(including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 93% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
0.01 sq km |
| Natural
hazards: |
lies outside the Caribbean
hurricane belt |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Population: |
70,007 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
21.29% (male 7,709; female 7,193)
15-64 years: 68.52% (male 23,111; female 24,859)
65 years and over: 10.19% (male 2,954; female 4,181) (2001
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.64% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
12.64 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.21 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
6.39 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
78.52 years
male: 75.16 years
female: 82.04 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.8 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mixed white/Caribbean
Amerindian 80% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 82%,
Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish |
| Languages: |
Dutch (official), Papiamento
(a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely
spoken), Spanish |
| Literacy: |
definition: NA
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form: Aruba |
| Dependency
status: |
part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon
separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible
for defense and foreign affairs |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (part of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands) |
| Independence: |
none (part of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands) |
| National
holiday: |
Flag Day, 18 March |
| Constitution: |
1 January 1986 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Dutch civil law
system, with some English common law influence |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April
1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN
(since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ
cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy
prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last
held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001)
election results: Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime
minister; percent of legislative vote - NA%; Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ elected
deputy prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral Legislature or
Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by
NA December 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - AVP 43%, MEP
39%, OLA 9% PPA 4%, ADN 2%, PARA 1%, MAS 0.5%; seats by party - AVP 10,
MEP 9, OLA 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Joint High Court of Justice
(judges are appointed by the monarch) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Aruba Solidarity Movement or
MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Aruban
Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA
[Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Tico CROES]; Electoral
Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or
PARA [leader NA]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
Caricom (observer), ECLAC
(associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (represented by the
Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Consul General Barbara J. STEPHENSON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489 |
| Flag
description: |
blue, with two narrow,
horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red,
four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner |
| Economy
- overview: |
Tourism is the mainstay of
the Aruban economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and
storage are also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over
the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other
activities. Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the
1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in
1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has
further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and less than 1%
unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies,
despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $2
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$28,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
4.2% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
41,501 (1997 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
most employment is in
wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and
restaurants; oil refining |
| Unemployment
rate: |
0.6% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $541 million, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, transshipment
facilities, oil refining |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
450 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
418.5 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
aloes; livestock; fish |
| Exports: |
$2.2 billion (including oil
reexports) (2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
live animals and animal
products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment,
transport equipment |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 42%, Colombia 20%,
Netherlands 12% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$2.5 billion (2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and electrical
equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 63%, Netherlands 11%,
Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$285 million (1996) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$26 million (1995); note -
the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and
Suriname in 1996 |
| Currency: |
Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Aruban guilders/florins per
US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
33,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
3,402 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten
(Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay
links |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0
(1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
20,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.aw |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
NA |
| Internet
users: |
4,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total: 800 km
paved: 513 km
unpaved: 287 km
note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads
serve large tracts of the interior (1995) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint
Nicolaas |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 1 ship
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,120 GRT/3,635 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Dutch Navy and Marines,
Coast Guard |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the responsibility
of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
drug-money-laundering center
and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe |
|
