Aruba
parliamentaryIndependence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Aruba as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 97 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(1999 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 22% (male 7,724; female 7,106)
- 15-64 years:
- 69% (male 22,723; female 24,747)
- 65 years and over:
- 9% (male 2,623; female 3,752) (1999 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.09 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.92 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.7 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.93 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Government
Parliamentary; 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 12 December 1997one 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 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 a four-year term;
- election last held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001)
- election results:
- inconclusive;
- no party won majority in December 1997 parliamentary elections;
- no new government formed as of May 1998
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote and serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by NA December 2001)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2
International organization participation
Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Consul General James L. WILLIAMS
- embassy:
- J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
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.
31 fieldsElectricity
Economy--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.
Imports--commodities
food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products, crude oil for refining and reexport
Economic aid--recipient
$26 million (1995); note?the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996
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 fieldsNetworkskm
Highways
- total:
- 300 km
- paved:
- 130 km
- unpaved:
- 170 km
note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior
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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Aruba.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/aruba/1999.