Aruba | (Part of the Dutch realm) |
Geography | People | Government | Economy | Transport | Communication | Defense | History | Travel
GEOGRAPHY
Location
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Area
- Total area: 193 sq km
- Land area: 193 sq km
- Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land Boundaries
0 km
Coastline
68.5 km
Maritime Claims
International Disputes
None
Climate
Tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain
Flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural Resources
- Negligible
- White sandy beaches
Land Use
- Arable land: 0%
- Permanent crops: 0%
- Meadows and pastures: 0%
- Forest and woodland: 0%
- Other: 100%
Irrigated Land
NA
Environment
- Current issues: NA
- Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
- International agreements: NA
PEOPLE
Population
67,794 (July 1996 est.)
65,974 (July 1995 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 Years
22% (male 7,850; female 7,155) (July 1996 est.)
23% (male 7,726; female 7,377) (July 1995 est.)
15-64 Years
69% (male 22,499; female 24,596) (July 1996 est.)
69% (male 21,141; female 24,269) (July 1995 est.)
65 Years and Over
9% (male 2,353; female 3,341) (July 1996 est.)
8% (male 2,238; female 3,223) (July 1995 est.)
Population Growth Rate
0.31% (1996 est.)
0.65% (1995 est.)
Birth Rate
14.62 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
14.6 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death Rate
6.24 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.17 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net Migration Rate
-5.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-1.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.93 male(s)/female
Infant Mortality Rate
8.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Total population: 76.68 years (1996 est.); 76.56 years (1995 est.)
- Male: 73 years (1996 est.); 72.89 years (1995 est.)
- Female: 80.55 years (1996 est.); 80.42 years (1995 est.)
Total Fertility Rate
1.81 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality
- Noun: Aruban(s)
- Adjective: Aruban
Ethnic Divisions
- Mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%
Religions
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy
NA
Labor Force
NA
By occupation:
- Most employment is in the tourist industry (1995)
GOVERNMENT
Names
- Conventional long form: none
- Conventional short form: Aruba (Pronunciation)
Digraph
AA
Type
Part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Capital
Oranjestad
Administrative Divisions
None (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Independence
None (part of the Dutch realm; 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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
- Chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
- Head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES were appointed by the legislature
- Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval of the legislature
Legislative Branch
Unicameral
Legislature (Staten)
Elections last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2
Judicial Branch
Joint High Court of Justice
Political Parties and Leaders
Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Jan (Henny) H. EMAN; National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY; New Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny NISBET; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86 (AD '86), Arturo ODUBER; Aruban Liberal Party (OLA), Glenbert CROES
Note: Governing coalition includes the AVP and OLA
Member of
ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Flag
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
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.
National Product
GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1994 est.); $1.1 billion (1993 est.)
National Product Real Growth Rate
6.1% (1994 est.)
5% (1993 est.)
National Product Per Capita
$18,000 (1994 est.)
$17,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)
6.1% (1994)
7% (1994 est.)
Unemployment Rate
0.5% (1994)
0.6% (1992)
Budget
- Revenues: $145 million
- Expenditures: $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Exports
$1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodities:
- Mostly refined petroleum products
Partners:
Imports
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodities:
- Food
- Consumer goods
- Manufactures
- Petroleum products
- Crude oil for refining and re-export
Partners:
External Debt
$669 million (December 1995)
$81 million (1987)
Industrial Production
Growth rate NA
Electricity
- Capacity: 90,000 kW
- Production: 330 million kWh
- Consumption per capita: 4,761 kWh (1993)
Industries
- Tourism
- Transshipment facilities
- Oil refining
Agriculture
Poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing
Illicit Drugs
Drug money laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the U.S. and Europe
Economic Aid
- Recipient: Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $220 million
Currency
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal Year
Calendar year
TRANSPORTATION
Railroads
0 km
Highways
- Total: NA
- Paved: NA
- Unpaved: NA
Ports
Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Merchant Marine
None
Airports
- Total: 2
- With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
- With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
Note: Government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights
COMMUNICATIONS
Telephone System
22,922 telephones (1993 est.); more than adequate
- Local: NA
- Intercity: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
- International: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles)
Radio
- Broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 4, shortwave 0
- Radios: NA
Television
- Broadcast stations: 1
- Televisions: 19,000 (1993 est.)
DEFENSE FORCES
Note: Defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands
History
World Atlas
