Legend:  Definition
 Field
Listing  Rank
Order
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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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Population:
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70,844 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.7% (male 7,540; female 7,121)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 23,427; female 24,955)
65 years and over: 11% (male 3,215; female 4,586) (2003 est.)
|
|
Median age:
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total: 37.1 years
male: 35.3 years
female: 38.5 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.55% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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11.86 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.38 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 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 (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.83 years
male: 75.48 years
female: 82.34 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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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:
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Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English
dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
|
|
Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
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Dependency status:
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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:
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Oranjestad |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
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Independence:
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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
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National holiday:
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Flag Day, 18 March |
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Constitution:
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1 January 1986 |
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Legal system:
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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 of the Netherlands (since 30
April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since
1 January 1992)
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)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since
30 October 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Fredis REFUNJOL
cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten) |
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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 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 |
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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:
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate),
WCL, WToO (associate) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to
Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba |
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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:
|
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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
|
-1.5% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 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):
|
3.2% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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41,501 (1997 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
|
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% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $135.81 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2000) |
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Industries:
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tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
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Industrial production growth rate:
|
NA |
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Electricity - production:
|
531.9 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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494.7 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Agriculture - products:
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aloes; livestock; fish |
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Exports:
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$1.88 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery
and electrical equipment, transport equipment |
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Exports - partners:
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Netherlands 28.6%, Colombia 21.7%, Panama 16.8%, US 12.1%, Netherlands
Antilles 8.3%, Venezuela 7.6% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$2.21 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport,
chemicals; foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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US 54.7%, Netherlands 12.7%, UK 5.7% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$285 million (1996) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$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:
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AWG |
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Exchange rates:
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Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001),
1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999), 1.79 (1998) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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This page was last updated on 18 December,
2003
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