1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
68.5 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Environment
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
negligible; white sandy beaches
Note
28 km north of Venezuela
Terrain
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Total area
193 km2; land area: 193 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
15 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%
Infant mortality rate
8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)
Language
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
72 years male, 80 years female (1991)
Literacy
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Nationality
noun--Aruban(s); adjective--Aruban
Net migration rate
- 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)
Population
64,052 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
Religion
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority
Total fertility rate
1.8 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Capital
Oranjestad
Constitution
1 January 1986
Diplomatic representation
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Elections
Legislature--last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by January 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1
Executive branch
Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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
Independence
none (part of the Dutch realm); note--in 1990 Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996
Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice
Leaders
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986); Head of Government--Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch
unicameral legislature (Staten)
Long-form name
none
Member of
ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)
National holiday
Flag Day, 18 March
Political parties and leaders
Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny EMAN; National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY; New Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Leo CHANCE; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86 (AD'86), Arturo ODUBER; governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Economy
Agriculture
poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing
Budget
revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Currency
Aruban florin (plural--florins); 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-1988), $200 million
Electricity
310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,000 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1--1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Exports
$131.6 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--mostly petroleum products; partners--US 64%, EC
External debt
$81 million (1987)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$730 million, per capita $11,600; real growth rate 8.8% (1989 est.)
Imports
$496 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--food, consumer goods, manufactures; partners--US 8%, EC
Industrial production
growth rate NA
Industries
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.8% (1990 est.)
Overview
Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 2% in 1990. The reopening of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.
Unemployment rate
1.6% (1990 est.)
Communications
Airfield
government-owned airport east of Oranjestad
Ports
Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Telecommunications
generally adequate; extensive interisland radio relay links; 72,168 telephones; stations--4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable to Sint Maarten
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands _%_