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England Description Aruba
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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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Location
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
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Geographic Coordinates
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12 30 N, 69 58 W
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Area - comparative
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slightly larger than Washington, DC
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Coast line
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0 km
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Climate
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68.5 km
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Terrain Aruba
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tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
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Natural Resources Aruba
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flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
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Irrigated land
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NEGL; white sandy beaches
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural Hazards
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hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
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Environment Currentissues
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NA
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Geography Note
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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)
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Population Aruba
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104,589
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Population growth rate
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1.457% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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12.77 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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7.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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9.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Total Fertility Rate
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1.85 children born/woman (2010 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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mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
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Religions
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Roman Catholic 80.8%, Evangelist 4.1%, Protestant 2.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%, Methodist 1.2%, Jewish 0.2%, other 5.1%, none or unspecified 4.6%
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Languages
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Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
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Education Expenditures
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4.8% of GDP (2005)
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Government Type
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member country 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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Administrative Divisions
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parliamentary democracy
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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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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Constitution
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Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
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Legal System
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1-Jan-86
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Suffrage
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based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
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Legislative Branch
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18 years of age; universal
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]
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International Organization Participation
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Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WFTU, WMO
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Flag Description
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none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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Economy Overview
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the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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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; the star represents Aruba and its red soil and white beaches, its four points the four major languages (Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, English) as well as the four points of a compass, to indicate that its inhabitants come from all over the world; the blue symbolizes Caribbean waters and skies; the stripes represent the island's two main "industries": the flow of tourists to the sun-drenched beaches and the flow of minerals from the earth
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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Tourism is the mainstay of the small open Aruban economy, together with offshore banking. Oil refining and storage ended in 2009. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. Tourist arrivals rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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$2.258 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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$2.258 billion (2005 est.)
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Labor Force
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2.4% (2005 est.)
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Unemployment Rate
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$21,800 (2004 est.)
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Population Below Poverty Line
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41,500 (2004 est.)
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Distribution Of Family Income
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6.9% (2005 est.)
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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NA%
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Inflation Rrate
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46.3% of GDP (2005)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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3.4% (2005)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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5% (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Money
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11.23% (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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$780.4 million (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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$890.3 million (31 December 2008)
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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$1.321 billion (31 December 2008)
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Agriculture - Products
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aloes; livestock; fish
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Industries
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tourism, transshipment facilities
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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NA%
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Electricity Production
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850 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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790.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil Production
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2,351 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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8,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Exports
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231,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Imports
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236,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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0 bbl
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Natural Gas Production
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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$124 million (2006); note - includes oil reexports
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Exports
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live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
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Exports Commodities
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Panama 22.3%, Colombia 19.2%, Venezuela 17.3%, US 13.5%, Netherlands Antilles 10.8%, Netherlands 7.2% (2008)
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Exports Partners
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$1.054 billion (2006)
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Imports
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machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
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Imports Commodities
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US 53.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 4.6% (2008)
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Imports Partners
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$478.6 million (2005 est.)
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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Aruban guilders/florins (AWG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)
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Debt - External
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38,500 (2008)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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1 (1997)
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Internet Country Code
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.aw
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Airports
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1 (2009)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine
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