Aruba
NAIndependence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Aruba as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 88 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
17 fieldsLand useshare of 193 sq km
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years : 22% (male 7,814; female 7,127)
- 15-64 years:
- 69% (male 22,544; female 24,656)
- 65 years and over:
- 9% (male 2,433; female 3,457) (July 1997 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years :
- 1.1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.91 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.7 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.93 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Government
NA; Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992); Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES
19 fieldsLegislature or Staten, 21 seats, elected 29 July 1994one dot, one seat
Dependency status
part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Independence
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES
- cabinet :
- Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
- elections:
- the queen is a constitutional monarch;
- governor general appointed for a six-year term by the queen;
- prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for a four-year term;
- election last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by July 1998)
- election results :
- Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime minister;
- percent of legislative vote - NA;
- Glenbert F. CROES elected deputy prime minister;
- percent of legislative vote - NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote and serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2
Political parties and leaders
- Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER];
- Aruban People's Party or AVP [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN];
- National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY];
- New Patriotic Party or PPN [Eddy WERLEMEN];
- Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET];
- Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI];
- Democratic Action '86 or AD '86 [Arturo ODUBER];
- Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]
note: governing coalition includes the AVP and OLA
International organization participation
ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
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
Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy, | although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also | important.
22 fieldsEconomy - overview
Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are 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 less than 1% unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years.
Exports
- total value:
- $1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1995)
- commodities:
- mostly refined petroleum products
- partners:
- US 64%, EU
Imports
- total value:
- $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
- commodities:
- food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products, crude oil for refining and reexport
- partners:
- US 8%, EU
Economic aid
the Netherlands provided a 1996 aid package of $224 million to Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and Suriname
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic:
- more than adequate
- international:
- 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Transportation
6 fieldsHighways
- total:
- NA km
- paved :
- NA km
- unpaved:
- NA km
note : most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior
Merchant marine
- total :
- 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,274 GRT/ 10,130 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 1, cargo 3 (1996 est.)
Military
1 fieldTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
- drug money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe;
- added to the US list of major drug producing or drug transit countries in December 1996 ASHMORE AND CARTIER ISLANDS Islands] (territory of Australia)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Aruba.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/aruba/1997.