Aruba

• 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)

at birth:

1.021 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 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 (2010 est.)

noun:

Aruban(s)

adjective:

Aruban; Dutch

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Aruba

• constituent 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

name:

Oranjestad

geographic coordinates:

12 31 N, 70 02 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Michiel Godfried (Mike) EMAN (since 30 October 2009)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers elected by the Staten; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the monarchy 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 2009 (next to be held by 2013)

election results:

Mike EMAN elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

• 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]

• 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

• 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

name:

"Aruba Deshi Tera" (Aruba Precious Country)

lyrics/music:

Juan Chabaya 'Padu' LAMPE/Rufo Inocencio WEVER

note: local anthem adopted 1986; as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, "Het Wilhelmus" is official (see Netherlands)

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• aloes;
• livestock;
• fish

general assessment:

modern fully automatic telecommunications system

domestic:

increased competition through privatization; 3 mobile-cellular 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)

• 2 commercial television stations;
• cable TV subscription service provides access to foreign channels;
• about 20 commercial radio stations broadcast (2007)

males age 16-49:

24,779

females age 16-49:

26,090 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

20,398

females age 16-49:

21,371 (2010 est.)

male:

738

female:

715 (2010 est.)