From Wikitravel

This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the Aruba article.

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.

[edit] 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 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: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0%
other: 89.47% (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)

[edit] People

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%

[edit] 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 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 [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]

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 Deborah A. BOLTON
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

[edit] 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. 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 (1999 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

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%

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 f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (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

[edit] Communications

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 

24,000 (2002)

[edit] Transportation

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 

note: there is one 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 (2002)

[edit] 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

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

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