1997 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1997 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Climate
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
68.5 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Environment - current issues
NA
Environment - international agreements
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates
12 30 N, 69 58 W
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 11% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 89% (1993 est.)
Location
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Natural resources
negligible; white sandy beaches
Terrain
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years : 22% (male 7,814; female 7,127) 15-64 years: 69% (male 22,544; female 24,656) 65 years and over: 9% (male 2,433; female 3,457) (July 1997 est.)
Birth rate
14.2 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate
6.32 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Ethnic groups
mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Infant mortality rate
8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 76.8 years male: 73.11 years female : 80.68 years (1997 est.)
Literacy
NA
Nationality
noun : Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban
Net migration rate
-3.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Population
68,031 (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate
0.39% (1997 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years : 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.81 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Constitution
1 January 1986
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Data code
AA
Dependency status
part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Diplomatic representation from the US
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (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 cabinet : Council of Ministers elected by the Staten elections: the queen is a constitutional monarch; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the queen; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for a four-year term; election last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by July 1998) election results : Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA; Glenbert F. CROES elected deputy prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
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
Government type
NA
Independence
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)
International organization participation
ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote and serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2
National capital
Oranjestad
National holiday
Flag Day, 18 March
Political parties and leaders
Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]; New Patriotic Party or PPN [Eddy WERLEMEN]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Democratic Action '86 or AD '86 [Arturo ODUBER]; Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES] note: governing coalition includes the AVP and OLA
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
aloes; livestock; fishing
Budget
revenues: $145 million expenditures : $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Currency
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Debt - external
$669 million (December 1995)
Economic aid
the Netherlands provided a 1996 aid package of $224 million to Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and Suriname
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.
Electricity - capacity
NA kW
Electricity - consumption per capita
NA kWh
Electricity - production
NA kWh
Exchange rates
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Exports
total value: $1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: mostly refined petroleum products partners: US 64%, EU
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $21,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
5% (1996 est.)
Imports
total value: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products, crude oil for refining and reexport partners: US 8%, EU
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Inflation rate - consumer price index
3.5% (1996)
Labor force
NA by occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1996)
Unemployment rate
0.5% (1994)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 4, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios
NA
Telephone system
domestic: more than adequate international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Telephones
22,922 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations
1
Televisions
19,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
2 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1
Highways
total: NA km paved : NA km unpaved: NA km note : most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior
Merchant marine
total : 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,274 GRT/ 10,130 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3 (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors
Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Railways
0 km
Military and Security
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
drug money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; added to the US list of major drug producing or drug transit countries in December 1996 ______________________________________________________________________ ASHMORE AND CARTIER ISLANDS Islands] (territory of Australia)