Aruba

Defense note

defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands

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.) Defense

Agriculture

aloes; livestock; fishing

Budget

revenues: $145 million expenditures: $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)

Currency

1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents

Economic aid

$NA

Economic 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: 90,000 kW production: 330 million kWh consumption per capita: 4,761 kWh (1993)

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., 1994) commodities: mostly refined petroleum products partners: US 64%, EU

External debt

$669 million (December 1995)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1994 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

GDP per capita

$18,000 (1994 est.)

GDP real growth rate

6.1% (1994 est.)

Illicit drugs

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

Imports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994) 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 prices)

6.1% (1994)

Labor force

NA by occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1995)

Unemployment rate

0.5% (1994)

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

Geographic coordinates

12 30 N, 69 58 W

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, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

negligible; white sandy beaches

Terrain

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m

Administrative divisions

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

Capital

Oranjestad

Constitution

1 January 1986

Data code

AA

Diplomatic representation in US

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (of the Netherlands since 30 April 1980), a constitutional monarch, is represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992) who was appointed for a six-year term by the queen head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES were appointed by the legislature cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the legislature

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

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)

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 (Staten)

elections last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2

Name of country

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba

National holiday

Flag Day, 18 March

Political parties and leaders

Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Jan (Henny) H. 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; Aruban Liberal Party (OLA), Glenbert CROES note: governing coalition includes the AVP and OLA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

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

US diplomatic representation

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

Age structure

0-14 years: 22% (male 7,850; female 7,155) 15-64 years: 69% (male 22,499; female 24,596) 65 years and over: 9% (male 2,353; female 3,341) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

14.62 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

6.24 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%

Infant mortality rate

8.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.68 years male: 73 years female: 80.55 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

NA

Nationality

noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban

Net migration rate

-5.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

67,794 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

0.31% (1996 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: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female all ages: 0.93 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

1.81 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 2 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1 note: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights (1995 est.)

Highways

total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Merchant marine

none

Ports

Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

Railways

0 km