Aruba

Airports

total: 2 usable: 2 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 0 note: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights

Highways

total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA

Ports

Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

Telecommunications

more than adequate; telephone density - 1,100 telephones per 1,000 persons; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links; 72,168 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 submarine cable to Saint Maarten

Affiliation

(territory of Australia)

Note

defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands

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

1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $220 million

Electricity

capacity: 90,000 kW production: 375 million kWh consumption per capita: 6,000 kWh (1990 est.)

Exchange rates

Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)

Exports

$1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: mostly petroleum products partners: US 64%, EC

External debt

$81 million (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

drug money laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe

Imports

$1.6 billion including oil for processing and re-export (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products partners: US 8%, EC

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.5% (1993)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.2 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$17,400 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

5% (1993)

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 3% in 1991 and to less than 1% in 1992. 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

0.6% (1992)

Area

total area: 193 sq km land area: 193 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

68.5 km

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt international agreements: NA

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%

Location

Caribbean, in the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and 125 km east of Colombia

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

negligible; white sandy beaches

Terrain

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Administrative divisions

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

Capital

Oranjestad

Constitution

1 January 1986

Digraph

AA

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since 6 February 1989) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval of the legislature

Independence

none (part of the Dutch realm; 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 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), Benny NISBET; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86 (AD '86), Arturo ODUBER; Organization for Aruban Liberty (OLA), Glenbert CROES note: governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN Member of: ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate) Diplomatic representation in US: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands) US diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands) 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

Legal system

based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

Legislative branch

unicameral

Legislature (Staten)

elections last held 8 January 1993 (next to be held by NA January 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) MEP 9, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPA 1, OLA 1, other 1

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba

National holiday

Flag Day, 18 March

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles

Birth rate

14.95 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

6.12 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%

Infant mortality rate

8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

NA by occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)

Languages

Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.43 years male: 72.77 years female: 80.27 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban

Net migration rate

-2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

65,545 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

0.65% (1994 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (1994 est.)