Map of Aruba | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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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
Water: 0 km²
Land: 193 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: NEGL; white sandy beaches

Land use
Arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 89.47% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 0.01 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

Geography
Note: a flat riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)


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Population: 70,844 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 0.55% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Aruban
Adjective: Aruban; Dutch

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: 20.7% (male 7,540; female 7,121)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 23,427; female 24,955)
65 years and over: 11% (male 3,215; female 4,586) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 37.1 years
Male: 35.3 years
Female: 38.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0.55% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 11.86 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 6.38 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male/female
Total population: 0.93 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.14 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.25 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 6.99 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.83 years
Male: 75.48 years
Female: 82.34 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Total population: 97%
Male: NA%
Female: 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 democracy

Capital: Oranjestad

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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
Election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA%
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 28 September 2001 (next to be held by December 2005)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Fredis REFUNJOL
Cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005)
Election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%, PPA 9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other 2.1%; seats by party - MEP 12, AVP 6, PPA 2, OLA 1

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 Alliance or Aliansa [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 [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Concentration for the Liberation of Aruba or CLA [leader NA]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]

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)
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba

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 small open Aruban economy with offshore banking and oil refining and storage 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 low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. Tourist arrivals have declined in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade balance.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -1.5% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 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; 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; oil refining

Unemployment rate: 0.6%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $135.81 million
Expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.2% (2002 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: $1.88 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2002 est.)
Commodities: live animals and animal products art and collectibles machinery and electrical equipment transport equipment
Partners: Netherlands 28.6% Colombia 21.7% Panama 16.8% US 12.1% Netherlands Antilles 8.3% Venezuela 7.6% (2002)

Imports: $2.21 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment crude oil for refining and reexport chemicals; foodstuffs
Partners: US 54.7% Netherlands 12.7% UK 5.7% (2002)

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 guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2002) 1.79 (2001) 1.79 (2000) 1.79 (1999) 1.79 (1998)


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Electricity
Production: 531.9 million kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 494.7 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 33,000 (1997)
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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .aw
Service providers isps: NA
Users: 24,000 (2002)

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: 1 (2002)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 3
Note: there is one foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity