Aruba

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

Aruba as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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
LocationCaribbean, in the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and
1994

Every edition of Aruba

Populationas each edition published it
65,545 people July 1994 est. · 62,656 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.65% 1994 est. · 0.66% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 37.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 76.3 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.82 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
8.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 8 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$17,400 1993 est. · $14,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5% 1993 · 6% in 1993

Geography

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

22 fields
Coastline
68.5km
land boundaries: 0 km

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

total area

193 sq km

land area

193 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than Washington, DC

exclusive fishing zone

12 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Natural resources

negligible; white sandy beaches

arable land

0%

permanent crops

0%

meadows and pastures

0%

forest and woodland

0%

other

100%

current issues

NA

natural hazards

lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

international agreements

NA

People

20 fields
Population
65,545
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 0.65% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
14.95Death
6.12Net migration
-2.3

Infant mortality rate

8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

76.43 years

male

72.77 years

female

80.27 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (1994 est.)

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

total population

NA%

male

NA%

female

NA%

by occupation

most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)

Government

Part of the Dutch realm

17 fields

Legislature, 21 seatsone dot, one seat

MEP 9AVP 8ADN 1PPA 1OLA 1other 1

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)

National holiday

Flag Day, 18 March

Constitution

1 January 1986

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state

Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)

head of government

Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since 6 February 1989)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval of the legislature

Legislature (Staten)

  • elections 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

Judicial branch

Joint High Court of Justice

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

Member of:
ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
US diplomatic representation:
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.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$17,400
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
5%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate NA%

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 and to less than 1% in 1992.

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 - $1.2 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$145 million

expenditures

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

Exports

$1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

mostly petroleum products

partners

US 64%, EC

Imports

$1.6 billion including oil for processing and re-export (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products

partners

US 8%, EC

External debt

$81 million (1987)

capacity

90,000 kW

production

375 million kWh

consumption per capita

6,000 kWh (1990 est.)

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 and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe

recipient

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

12 fields

total

NA

paved

NA

unpaved

NA

Ports

Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

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

  • more than adequate;
  • telephone density - 1,100 telephones per 1,000 persons;
  • extensive interisland microwave radio relay links;
  • 72,168 telephones;
  • broadcast stations - 4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV;
  • 1 submarine cable to Saint Maarten

Defense Forces

2 fields

Note

defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands

Affiliation

(territory of Australia)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Aruba.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/aruba/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →