Map of Aruba | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Formerly one of the Netherlands Antilles Aruba became an autonomous part of the Netherlands in 1986.


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Location: in the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and 125 km east of Colombia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 193 km²
Land: 193 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 68.5 km
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Elevation

Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 100%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 65,117 (July 1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Aruban(s)
Adjective: Aruban

Ethnic groups: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%

Languages:
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 15.33 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 6.05 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.72 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 8.6 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.3 years
Male: 72.65 years
Female: 80.13 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.83 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Aruba

Government type: part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles

Capital: Oranjestad

Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands) received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March

Constitution: 1 January 1986

Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral legislature (Staten)

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)

Diplomatic representation
In the us:

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 3% in 1991. The reopening of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (1991 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing

Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate NA%

Labor force: NA
By occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)

Unemployment rate: 3% (1991 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $902.4 million, including oil re-exports (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: mostly petroleum products
Partners: US 64%, EC

Imports: $1,311.3 million, including oil for processing and re-export (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products
Partners: US 8%, EC

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 14,610 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2
With permanentsurface runways: 2
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 0

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: drug money laundering center