Map of Aruba | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | 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: Caribbean, 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 area total: 193 km²
Land: 193 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 68.5 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

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: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

Geography
Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands


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Population: 65,545 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.65% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Aruban(s)

Ethnic groups: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%

Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.65% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 14.95 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 6.12 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 8.4 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.43 years
Male: 72.77 years
Female: 80.27 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1994 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
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form:

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)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)

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
Chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since 6 February 1989)

Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislature Staten: elections last held 8 January 1993 (next to be held by NA January 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) MEP 9, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPA 1, OLA 1, other 1

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
From 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 and to less than 1% in 1992. 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: 5% (1993)

Real gdp per capita: $17,400 (1993 est.)

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: NA%

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

Unemployment rate: 0.6% (1992)

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

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

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: $1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: mostly petroleum products
Partners: US 64%, EC

Imports: $1.6 billion including oil for processing and re-export (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products
Partners: US 8%, EC

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $81 million (1987)

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
Capacity: 90,000 kW
Production: 375 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 6,000 kWh (1990 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

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
Usable: 2
With permanentsurface runways: 2
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 0
Note: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights

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 and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe