Aruba
parliamentary democracyIndependence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Aruba as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
17 fieldsLand useshare of 180 sq km
Geography - note
- 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)
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.92 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.66 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.9 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Languages
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)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); Prime Minister Mike EMAN (since 30 October 2009)
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature or Staten, 21 seats, elected 25 September 2009one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Dependency status
- 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
Capital
- name:
- Oranjestad
- geographic coordinates:
- 12 31 N, 70 02 W
- time difference:
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Mike EMAN (since 30 October 2009)
- 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 four-year terms;
- election last held in 2005 (next to be held by 2009)
- election results:
- Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 25 September 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - AVP 48%, MEP 35.9%, PDR 5.7%; seats by party - AVP 12, MEP 8, PDR 1
Political parties and leaders
- 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]
International organization participation
Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
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;
- 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
Economy
Tourism is the mainstay of the small open Aruban economy with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important.
44 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2002 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Tourism is the mainstay of the small open Aruban economy with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. 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.
In addition, the country's oil refinery reopened in 1993 providing a major source of employment, foreign exchange earnings, and growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season. Hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80% compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.
Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture:
- NA%
- industry:
- NA%
- services:
- NA%
note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
Central bank discount rate
5% (31 December 2008) · 5% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 91
Commercial bank prime lending rate
11.23% (31 December 2008) · 11.01% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 74
Stock of money
$780.4 million (31 December 2008) · $640.9 million (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 90
Stock of quasi money
$890.3 million (31 December 2008) · $792.9 million (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 98
Stock of domestic credit
$1.321 billion (31 December 2008) · $1.348 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 102
Exports - commodities
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Imports - commodities
machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Exchange rates
Aruban guilders/florins (AWG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- modern fully automatic telecommunications system
- domestic:
- increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed
- international:
- country code - 297;
- landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the west coast of South America;
- extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)
Transportation
3 fieldsMilitary
No regular military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2009)
5 fieldsMilitary branches
no regular military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2009)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Aruba.” The World Factbook 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/aruba/2009.