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The World Factbook 2002
| Aruba |

Introduction | Aruba

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.

Geography | Aruba

Location: | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: | 12 30 N, 69 58 W
Map references: | Central America and the Caribbean
Area: | total: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 193 sq km
Area - 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 highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural resources: | NEGL; white sandy beaches
Land use: | arable land: 11% (including aloe 0.01%) permanent crops: 0% other: 89% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Environment - current issues: | NA
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)

People | Aruba

Population: | 70,441 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 21% (male 7,635; female 7,169) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 23,270; female 24,906) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 3,081; female 4,380) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.59% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 12.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.67 years female: 82.19 years (2002 est.) male: 75.32 years
Total fertility rate: | 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Nationality: | noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Ethnic groups: | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Religions: | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
Languages: | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA%

Government | Aruba

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Dependency status: | part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Government type: | parliamentary democracy
Capital: | Oranjestad
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
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 (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001); deputy prime minister NA
cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)
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)

Legislative branch: | unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) 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 elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005)
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 [Tico CROES]; 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 [leader NA]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
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)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Consul General Barbara J. STEPHENSON embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066 FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489
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

Economy | Aruba

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. The government's goal of balancing the budget within two years will hamper expenditures, as will the decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the 11 September terrorist attacks.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 2.5% (2000)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 4% (2000)
Labor force: | 41,501 (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
Unemployment rate: | 0.6% (1999 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $135.81 million expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)
Industries: | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 450 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 418.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: | aloes; livestock; fish
Exports: | $2.58 billion (including oil reexports) (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Exports - partners: | US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999)
Imports: | $2.61 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: | US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999)
Debt - external: | $285 million (1996)
Economic aid - recipient: | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996
Currency: | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
Currency code: | AWG
Exchange rates: | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Aruba

Telephones - main lines in use: | 33,000 (1997)
Telephones - 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
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: | 50,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (1997)
Televisions: | 20,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .aw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | NA
Internet users: | 4,000 (2000)

Transportation | Aruba

Railways: | 0 km
Highways: | total: 800 km paved: 513 km note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior (1995) unpaved: 287 km
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Merchant marine: | includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: | 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2001)

Military | Aruba

Military branches: | no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard
Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Transnational Issues | Aruba

Disputes - international: | none
Illicit drugs: | drug-money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002