Aruba
Background: Formerly one of the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba became an autonomous part of the Netherlands in 1986.
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:
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 68.5 km Maritime claims:
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches Land use:
Irrigated land: 0.01 sq km Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt Environment - current issues: NA
Population: 69,539 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
Population growth rate: 0.7% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 13.1 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate: 6.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
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:
Country name:
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 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; 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:
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: 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]; Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Democratic Action '86 or AD '86 [Arturo ODUBER]; Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; Electoral People's Movement or MEP [Betico CROES]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]; New Patriotic Party or PPN [Eddy WERLEMEN] 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:
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
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. GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.6 billion (1998 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1998) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $22,800 (1998 est.) GDP - composition by sector:
Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.) Labor force: 41,501 (1997 est.) Labor force - by occupation: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 0.6% (1996 est.) Budget:
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 475 million kWh (1998) Electricity - production by source:
Electricity - consumption: 442 million kWh (1998) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: aloes; livestock; fish Exports: $1.17 billion (including oil reexports)(1998) Exports - commodities: transport equipment, live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment Exports - partners: US 53.2%, Colombia 14.9%, Netherlands 8.8% (1998) Imports: $1.52 billion (1998) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport; foodstuffs Imports - partners: US 55.5%, Netherlands 12.3%, Japan 3.5% (1998) 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: 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use: 27,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,718 (1995) Telephone system:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 50,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: 20,000 (1997) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Railways: 0 km Highways:
Ports and harbors: Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas Airports: 2 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: drug-money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe
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