Aruba

part of the Dutch realmIndependence none (part of the Dutch realm

Aruba as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalOranjestad
Area193 km2
Locationin the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and 125 km east of
1993

Every edition of Aruba

Populationas each edition published it
65,117 people July 1993 est. · 62,656 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.66% 1993 est. · 1.05% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 37.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
76.3 years 1993 est. · 78.5 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.83 children per woman 1993 est. · 1.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
8.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 8 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$14,000 1991 est. · $40,500 in 2025
GDP real growth% a year
6% 1991 est. · 4.3% in 2025

Geography

In the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and 125 km east of | Colombia

13 fields

Land useshare of 193 km2

forest and woodland 0%other 100%arable land 0% in all · permanent crops 0% in all · meadows and pastures 0% in all
Area
193km2
land area: 193 km2comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Coastline
68.5km
land boundaries: 0 kmexclusive fishing zone: 12 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Location

in the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and 125 km east of Colombia

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Natural resources

negligible; white sandy beaches

Environment

lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

People

14 fields
Population
65,117
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 0.66% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
15.33Death
6.05Net migration
-2.72

Infant mortality rate

8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
76.3 years
male:
72.65 years
female:
80.13 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Aruban(s)
adjective:
Aruban

Ethnic divisions

mixed European/Caribbean Indian 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

total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%

Labor force

NA; by occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)

Government

Part of the Dutch realm

19 fields

Names

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Aruba

Type

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

Capital

Oranjestad

Administrative divisions

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

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)

Constitution

1 January 1986

National holiday

Flag Day, 18 March

Political parties and leaders

  • Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER;
  • Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny 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;
  • Organization for Aruban Liberty (OLA), Glenbert CROES

note: governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

Legislature:
  • last held 8 January 1993 (next to be held by NA January 1997);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (21 total) MEP 9, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPA 1, OLA 1, other 1

Executive branch

Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral legislature (Staten)

Judicial branch

Joint High Court of Justice

Leaders

Chief of State:
Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since NA)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)

Member of

ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in US

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

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

Economy

Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil | refining and storage are also important.

19 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$14,000
(1991 est.)
Real growth rate
6%
(1991 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate NA%
Unemployment rate
3%
(1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$145 millionExpenditures
$185 million
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)

Overview

Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 3% in 1991.

The reopening of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $900 million (1991 est.)

Exports

$902.4 million, including oil re-exports (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:
mostly petroleum products
partners:
US 64%, EC

Imports

$1,311.3 million, including oil for processing and re-export (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:
food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products
partners:
US 8%, EC

External debt

$81 million (1987)

Electricity

310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 14,610 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Agriculture

poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing

Illicit drugs

drug money laundering center

Economic aid

Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $220 million

Currency

1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

4 fields

Highways

NA km all-weather highways

Ports

Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

Airports

total:
2
usable:
2
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0

note: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights

Telecommunications

  • generally adequate;
  • extensive interisland microwave radio relay links;
  • 72,168 telephones;
  • broadcast stations - 4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV;
  • 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten

Defense Forces

2 fields

Note

defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands

Affiliation

(territory of Australia)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Aruba.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/aruba/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →