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.

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 N 69 58 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 180 km²
Rank: 217
Land: 180 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: NEGL; white sandy beaches

Land use
Arable land: 10.53%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 89.47% (2005)

Irrigated land: 0.01 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened

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)

Population: 103,065
Rank: 193
Note: estimate based on a revision of the base population fertility and mortality numbers as well as a revision of 1985-99 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 1.478% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 94
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Aruban
Adjective: Aruban; Dutch

Ethnic groups: mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% other 20%

Languages: Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3% Spanish 12.6% English (widely spoken) 7.7% Dutch (official) 5.8% other 2.2% unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 80.8% Evangelist 4.1% Protestant 2.5% Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5% Methodist 1.2% Jewish 0.2% other 5.1% none or unspecified 4.6%

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.1%
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 34,676/female 37,752)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 4,351/female 6,607) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 37.8 years
Male: 36 years
Female: 39.5 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.478% (2009 est.)
Rank: 94

Birth rate: 12.79 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 158

Death rate: 7.71 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 117

Net migration rate: 9.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 8

Urbanization
Urban population: 47% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 13.79 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 132
Male: 18.28 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.22 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.28 years
Rank: 82
Male: 72.25 years
Female: 78.38 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.85 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 149

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: 4.8% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 79

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 97.3%
Male: 97.5%
Female: 97.1% (2000 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2006)

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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Oranjestad
Geographic coordinates: 12 31 N 70 02 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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

Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday: Flag Day 18 March (1976)

Constitution: 1 January 1986

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands ; represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mike EMAN (since 30 October 2009)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
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 in 2005 (next to be held by 2009)
Election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 25 September 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - AVP 48% MEP 35.9% PDR 5.7%; seats by party - AVP 12 MEP 8 PDR 1

Judicial branch: Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders: Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]

International organization participation: Caricom (observer) ILO IMF Interpol IOC ITUC UNESCO (associate) UNWTO (associate) UPU WCL WFTU WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of 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; the star represents Aruba and its red soil and white beaches its four points the four major languages (Papiamento Dutch Spanish English) as well as the four points of a compass to indicate that its inhabitants come from all over the world; the blue symbolizes Caribbean waters and skies; the stripes represent the island's two main 'industries': the flow of tourists to the sun-drenched beaches and the flow of minerals from the earth

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. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition the country's oil refinery reopened in 1993 providing a major source of employment foreign exchange earnings and growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season. Hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80% compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $2.205 billion (2004 est.)
Rank: 181

Real gdp growth rate: 2.4% (2005 est.)
Rank: 143

Real gdp per capita: $21,800 (2004 est.)
Rank: 56

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.4%
Industry: 33.3%
Services: 66.3% (2002 est.)

Agriculture products: aloes; livestock; fish

Industries: tourism transshipment facilities oil refining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 41,500 (2004 est.)
Rank: 188
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%
By occupation note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining

Unemployment rate: 6.9% (2005 est.)
Rank: 86

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $507.9 million
Expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)

Public debt: 46.3% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 42

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (2005)
Rank: 41

Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 91

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11.01% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 74

Stock of domestic credit: $1.348 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 102

Exports: $124 million (2006); note - includes oil reexports
Rank: 189
Commodities: live animals and animal products art and collectibles machinery and electrical equipment transport equipment
Partners: Panama 22.3% Colombia 19.5% Venezuela 17.1% US 13.8% Netherlands Antilles 10.8% Netherlands 7.3% (2008)

Imports: $1.054 billion (2006)
Rank: 170
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment crude oil for refining and reexport chemicals; foodstuffs
Partners: US 53.3% Netherlands 11.8% UK 4.6% (2008)

Debt external: $478.6 million (2005 est.)
Rank: 165

Exchange rates: Aruban guilders/florins (AWG) per US dollar - NA (2007) 1.79 (2006) 1.79 (2005) 1.79 (2004) 1.79 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 850 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 148
Consumption: 790.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 149
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 93
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 112
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 44
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 68
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 104

Telephones
Main lines in use: 38,500 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 170
Mobile cellular: 127,100 (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 179

Telephone system
General assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system
Domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed
International: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela Colombia Panama and the west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)

Internet
Country code: .aw
Hosts: 25,051 (2009)
Hosts rank: 95
Users: 24,000 (2008)
Users rank: 184

Airports: 1 (2009)
Rank: 211
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2009)

Ports and terminals: Barcadera Oranjestad Sint Nicolaas

Disputes international: none

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