Map of Aruba | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 N, 69 58 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 193 km²
Land: 193 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 68.5 km

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
Extremes highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m

Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches

Land use
Arable land: 11%
Permanent crops: NA%
Permanent pastures: NA%
Forests and woodland: NA%
Other: 89% (1993 est.)

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


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Population: 68,325 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.47% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Aruban(s)
Adjective: Aruban

Ethnic groups: mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 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
0-14 years: 22% (male 7,775; female 7,114)
15-64 years: 69% (male 22,616; female 24,700)
65 years and over: 9% (male 2,523; female 3,597) (July 1998 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.47% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 13.74 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.63 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements party to: NA
International agreements signed but not ratified: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.96 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.92 years
Male: 73.22 years
Female: 80.81 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1998 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: NA

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: parliamentary

Capital: Oranjestad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; 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 of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES
Cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)
Elections: the queen is a constitutional monarch; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the queen; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for a four-year term; election last held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001)
Election results: inconclusive; no party won majority in December 1997 parliamentary elections; no new government formed as of May 1998

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote and 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_NA; seats by party_AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2; although elections were held 12 December 1997, a new government had not been formed as of May 1998

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice; judges are appointed by the Netherlands monarch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
From the us chief of mission: Consul General James L. WILLIAMS
From the us embassy: J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
From the us telephone: [599] (9) 461-3,066
From the us fax: 461-6,489

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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $21,000 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: aloes; livestock; fishing

Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: NA
By occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1996)

Unemployment rate: 0.6% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $376 million
Expenditures: $409 million, including capital expenditures of $107 million (1997 est.)

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: total value:$1.7 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1996)

Imports

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
Capacity: 90,000 kW (1995)
Production: 340 million kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 5,154 kWh (1995)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 22,922 (1993 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: more than adequate
International: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links

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 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: total:2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,365 GRT/29,170 DWT (1997 est.)

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; added to the US list of major drug producing or drug transit countries in December 1996