Legend:
Definition of Term
 Arranged
by Countries Field Listing
| Background: |
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. |
| Population: |
70,441 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 21% (male 7,635; female 7,169)
15-64
years: 68.4% (male 23,270; female 24,906)
65 years
and over: 10.6% (male 3,081; female 4,380) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.59% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
12.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| 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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total
population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 78.67 years
female:
82.19 years (2002 est.)
male: 75.32 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch
|
| 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: |
definition: NA
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
|
| Country
name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional
short form: Aruba |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 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: |
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since
30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN
(since 1 January 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister
Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001); deputy prime minister
NA
cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)
election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister;
percent of legislative vote - NA%
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 28 September
2001 (next to be held by December 2005) |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election
results: percent of vote by party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%,
PPA 9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other 2.1%; seats by party -
MEP 12, AVP 6, PPA 2, OLA 1
elections: last held 28
September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) |
| Judicial
branch: |
Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch)
|
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic
Alliance or Aliansa [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 [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Concentration for the Liberation
of Aruba or CLA [leader NA]; People's Electoral Movement Party
or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA
[Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro
KELLY] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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: |
chief of mission: Consul General Deborah A. BOLTON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing
address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone:
[599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489 |
| 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 small, open Aruban economy, with
offshore banking and oil refining and storage 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 low unemployment
rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite
sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. The government's goal
of balancing the budget within two years will hamper expenditures,
as will the decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the
11 September terrorist attacks. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.5% (2000) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services:
NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
4% (2000) |
| Labor
force: |
41,501 |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed
by hotels and restaurants; oil refining |
| Unemployment
rate: |
0.6% |
| Budget: |
revenues: $135.81 million
expenditures:
$147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) |
| Industries: |
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
450 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other:
0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
418.5 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
aloes; livestock; fish |
| Exports: |
$2.58 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery
and electrical equipment, transport equipment |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$2.61 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and
reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999)
|
| 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: |
Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
| Currency
code: |
AWG |
| Exchange
rates: |
Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since
1986) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
|
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