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Red
Sea Management provides Aruba offshore incorporation, Aruba
offshore asset protection and a full range of services. |
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Report on
Aruba
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| Background:
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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.
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| Location:
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 30 N, 69 58 W
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| Map
references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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| Area: |
total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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| Area -
comparative:
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slightly larger than Washington, DC
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| Land
boundaries: |
0 km
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Coastline:
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68.5 km
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| Maritime
claims:
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territorial sea: 12 NM
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| Climate:
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tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
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| Terrain:
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flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
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| Elevation
extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
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| Natural
resources:
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NEGL; white sandy beaches
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| Land use:
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arable land: 7% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 93% (1993 est.)
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| Irrigated
land:
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0.01 sq km
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| Natural
hazards:
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lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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| Geography
- note:
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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)
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Population: |
70,007 (July 2001 est.)
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| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 21.29% (male 7,709; female 7,193)
15-64 years: 68.52% (male 23,111; female 24,859)
65 years and over: 10.19% (male 2,954; female 4,181) (2001 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.64% (2001 est.)
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| Birth
rate: |
12.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Death
rate: |
6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Net
migration rate: |
NEGL
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| 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: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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| Infant
mortality rate: |
6.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
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| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 78.52 years
male: 75.16 years
female: 82.04 years (2001 est.)
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| Total
fertility rate: |
1.8 children born/woman (2001 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA%
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| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality: |
noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch
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| Ethnic
groups:
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mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
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Languages: |
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English
dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
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| Literacy: |
definition: NA
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
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| Country
name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba
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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
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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| Capital: |
Oranjestad
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Administrative divisions:
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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Independence: |
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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| National
holiday: |
Flag Day, 18 March
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Constitution:
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1 January 1986
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| Legal
system: |
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law
influence
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| Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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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 Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ
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
12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001)
election results: Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime minister; percent
of legislative vote - NA%; Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ elected deputy prime
minister; percent of legislative vote - NA%
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Legislative branch: |
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct,
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by NA December
2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - AVP 43%, MEP 39%, OLA 9% PPA 4%, ADN 2%, PARA 1%, MAS 0.5%; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA
2
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| Judicial
branch:
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Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch)
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| Political
parties and leaders: |
Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [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 [Tico CROES]; Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; For
a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [leader NA]; National Democratic
Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]
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| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA
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International organization participation: |
Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO
(associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Consul General Barbara J. STEPHENSON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489
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| 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
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| Economy
- overview:
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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.
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| GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $2 billion (2000 est.)
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| GDP -
real growth rate: |
3.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.)
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| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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Population below poverty line: |
NA%
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| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
4.2% (2000 est.)
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| Labor
force: |
41,501 (1997 est.)
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| Labor
force - by occupation:
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most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed
by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
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Unemployment rate: |
0.6% (1999 est.)
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| Budget:
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revenues: $NA
expenditures: $541 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
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Industries: |
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production: |
450 million kWh (1999)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
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Electricity - consumption:
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418.5 million kWh (1999)
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (1999)
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999)
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Agriculture - products:
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aloes; livestock; fish
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| Exports: |
$2.2 billion (including oil reexports) (2000 est.)
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| Exports -
commodities: |
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and
electrical equipment, transport equipment
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| Exports -
partners: |
US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999)
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| Imports: |
$2.5 billion (2000 est.)
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| Imports -
commodities: |
machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and
reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
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| Imports -
partners: |
US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999)
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| Debt -
external: |
$285 million (1996)
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| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid
package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996
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| Currency:
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Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
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| Currency
code: |
AWG |
| Exchange
rates:
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Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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33,000 (1997)
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
3,402 (1997)
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Telephone system: |
general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands
Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
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| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)
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| Radios: |
50,000 (1997)
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Television broadcast stations: |
1 (1997)
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Televisions: |
20,000 (1997)
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| Internet
country code: |
.aw
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| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
NA
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| Internet
users: |
4,000 (2000)
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| Railways:
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0 km
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| Highways: |
total: 800 km
paved: 513 km
unpaved: 287 km
note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large
tracts of the interior (1995)
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Waterways: |
none
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| Ports and
harbors: |
Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
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| Merchant
marine: |
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,120 GRT/3,635 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
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| Airports: |
1 (2000 est.)
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| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
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| Military
branches: |
Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard
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| Military
- note: |
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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| Disputes
- international: |
none
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| Illicit
drugs: |
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
