Aruba

§1. Aruba Introduction

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.

§2. Aruba Geography

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 km²
  land: 193 km²
  water: 0 km²

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: 10.53%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 89.47% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  0.01 km² (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)

§3. Aruba People

Population:
  71,891 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 19.5% (male 7,175/female 6,849)
  15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,894/female 25,140)
  65 years and over: 12.3% (male 3,616/female 5,217) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 38.5 years
  male: 36.4 years
  female: 40.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.44% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  11.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 5.79 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 79.28 years
  male: 75.95 years
  female: 82.78 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.79 children born/woman (2006 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%

§4. Aruba Government

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 Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)
  head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001)
  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 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 23 September 2005 (next to be held by in 2009)
  election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED
    7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO
  (associate)

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

Diplomatic representation 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

§5. Aruba Economy

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 reopening of the
  country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign
  exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Tourist arrivals have
  rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The
  island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004
  averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The
  newly re-elected government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits
  a high priority.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $2.13 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $21,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA%
  industry: NA%
  services: NA%

Labor force:
  41,500 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by
  hotels and restaurants; oil refining

Unemployment rate:
  7.3% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.8% (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $135.8 million
  expenditures: $147 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)

Agriculture - products:
  aloes; livestock; fish

Industries:
  tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  770 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  716.1 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  2,363 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
  6,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $80 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and
  electrical equipment, transport equipment

Exports - partners:
  Netherlands 28.5%, Panama 17.4%, Venezuela 14.7%, Netherlands Antilles
  11.2%, Colombia 10.7%, US 10.4% (2004)

Imports:
  $875 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport,
  chemicals; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  US 55.5%, Netherlands 14.1%, Venezuela 3.3% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $453 million (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $17.4 million (2004)

Currency (code):
  Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)

Exchange rates:
  Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79
  (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Aruba Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  37,100 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  53,000 (2001)

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; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten
    (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .aw

Internet hosts:
  5,420 (2005)

Internet users:
  24,000 (2002)

§7. Aruba Transportation

Airports:
  1 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

§8. Aruba Military

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

§9. Aruba Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none

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


<Factbook 2006>
