Aruba - General Country Information
Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
Introduction
General Information:
 |
The capital of Aruba is Oranjestad.
Major cities of Aruba are: Aruba. |
Geography
|
Location:
|
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
| Coordinates: | 12 30 N, 69 58 W |
| Area: | total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area Comparative: | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 68.5 km |
| Maritime Claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm |
| Climate: | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation |
| Elevation Extremes: | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
| Natural Resources: | NEGL; white sandy beaches |
| Land Use: | arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land: | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural Hazards: | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt |
| Note: | 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) |
People
|
Population:
|
71,218 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age Structure: | total: 37.5 years
male: 35.7 years female: 39.1 years (2004 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: | 0.51% (2004 est.) |
| Birth Rate: | 11.53 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death Rate: | 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Migration Rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex Ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate: | total: 6.02 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
| Expectancy Birth: | total population: 78.98 years
male: 75.64 years female: 82.49 years (2004 est.) |
| Fertility Rate: | 1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| 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:
total population: 97% male: NA female: NA |
Gouvernment
|
Country Name:
|
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
| 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 Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) 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 28 September 2001 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA |
| Legislative Branch: | unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) 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 |
| Judicial Branch: | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) |
| Political Parties 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] |
| International Organization Participation: | ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WToO (associate) |
| Diplomatic in US: | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Diplomatic from US: | the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles, Robert E. SORENSON, is accredited to Aruba |
| 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
|
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. Tourist arrivals have declined in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade balance. |
| GDP: | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP Growth Rate: | -1.5% (2002 est.) |
| GDP Capital: | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP Composition: | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
| Household Income: | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
| Inflation Rate: | 3.2% (2002 est.) |
| Labor Force: | 41,500 (1997 est.) |
| Labor Force Occupation: | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining |
| Unemployment Rate: | 0.6% (2003 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $135.8 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000) |
| Agriculture Products: | aloes; livestock; fish |
| Industries: | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
| Industry Production Growth Rate: | NA (2002 est.) |
| Electricity Production: | 531.9 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: | 494.7 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity Exports: | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity Imports: | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Oil Production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: | 6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil Exports: | NA (2001) |
| Oil Imports: | NA (2001) |
| Exports: | $128 million f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2002 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment |
| Exports Partners: | Netherlands 33.7%, Colombia 12%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Panama 12%, Venezuela 10.8%, US 9.6% (2003) |
| Imports: | $841 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs |
| Imports Partners: | US 55.3%, Netherlands 13%, Netherlands Antilles 3.1% (2003) |
| Debt External: | $285 million (1996) |
| Currency: | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
| Currency Code: | AWG |
| Exchange Rates: | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999) |
| Fiscal Year: | calendar year |
Communications
|
Telephones Lines Use:
|
37,100 (2002) |
| Mobile Cellular: | 53,000 (2001) |
| Telephone System: | general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
| Radio Stations: | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television Stations: | 1 (1997) |
| Internet Code: | .aw |
| Internet Hosts: | 923 (2001) |
| Internet Users: | 24,000 (2002) |
Transportation
| 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) |
| Waterways: | general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
| Ports Harbors: | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas |
| Merchant Marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,772 GRT/7,068 DWT
by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: Germany 1, Russia 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports Paved Runways: | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Military
|
Military Branches:
|
no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard |
Transnational Issues
|
Disputes International:
|
none |
| Illicit Drugs: | transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity |
Aruba travel guide. Geography, travel-weather, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, transnational issues.
travel news | travel guides | about us | advertising | partners | affiliates | site map | FAQ | privacy | terms of service | hotel directory | forum | feedback | tell a friend | bookmark it | 
Visit our international sites too:
travelgrove.com| travelgrove.co.uk| travelgrove.de| travelgrove.it| travelgrove.es| travelgrove.fr
Visit our international sites too:
travelgrove.com| travelgrove.co.uk| travelgrove.de| travelgrove.it| travelgrove.es| travelgrove.fr
Travelgrove Inc is not responsible for content on external Web sites. ©2004-2008 Travelgrove, Inc. All rights reserved.