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
Comparative: slightly larger than Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 68.5 km

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Elevation

Natural resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches

Land use

Irrigated land: 0.01 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: 69,539 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.7% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.7% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 13.1 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.13 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 6.51 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2000 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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

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

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders: 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 [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Democratic Action '86 or AD '86 [Arturo ODUBER]; Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; Electoral People's Movement or MEP [Betico CROES]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]; New Patriotic Party or PPN [Eddy WERLEMEN]

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)

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: 3% (1998)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $22,800 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: aloes; livestock; fish

Industries: tourism transshipment facilities oil refining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 41,501 (1997 est.)
By occupation: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair followed by hotels and restaurants (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 0.6% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (1999 est.)

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: $1.17 billion (including oil reexports)(1998)
Commodities: transport equipment live animals and animal products art and collectibles machinery and electrical equipment
Partners: US 53.2% Colombia 14.9% Netherlands 8.8% (1998)

Imports: $1.52 billion (1998)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment crude oil for refining and reexport; foodstuffs
Partners: US 55.5% Netherlands 12.3% Japan 3.5% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $285 million (1996)

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
Production: 475 million kWh (1998)
Consumption: 442 million kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 27,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: 1718 (1995)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: NA

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 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

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