Aruba

agricultural land:

11.1%;

• arable land 11.1%;
• permanent crops 0%;
• permanent pasture 0%

forest:

2.3%

other:

86.6% (2011 est.)

• 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)

noun:

Aruban(s)

adjective:

Aruban; Dutch

at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.87 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female

total population:

0.9 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Aruba

etymology:

• the origin of the island's name is unclear;
• according to tradition, the name comes from the Spanish phrase "oro huba" (there was gold), but in fact no gold was ever found on the island;
• another possibility is the native word "oruba," which means "well situated"

• 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)

• previous 1947, 1955;
• latest drafted and approved August 1985, enacted 1 January 1986 (regulates governance of Aruba, but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands);
• note - in October 2010, following dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2016)

chief of state:

King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)

head of government:

Prime Minister Michiel "Mike" Godfried EMAN (since 30 October 2009)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers elected by the Legislature (Staten)

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor general appointed by the monarch for a 6-year term;
• prime minister and deputy prime minister indirectly elected by the Staten for 4-year tern;
• election last held on 25 September 2009 (next to be held by September 2013)

election results:

Michiel "Mike" Godfried EMAN (AVP) elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

description:

unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 27 September 2013 (next to be held in 2017)

election results:

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AVP 13, MEP 8

highest court(s):

• Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatitus and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (sits as a 3-judge panel);
• final appeals heard by the Supreme Court, in The Hague, Netherlands

judge selection and term of office:

Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch for life

subordinate courts:

Courts in First Instance

• Aruban People's Party or AVP [Michiel "Mike" EMAN]
• People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Evelyn WEVER-CROES]
• Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]

• 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)

• aloes;
• livestock;
• fish

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade, followed by hotels and restaurants

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

modern fully automatic telecommunications system

domestic:

• increased competition through privatization has increased mobile-cellular teledensity to over 125 per 100 persons;
• 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 (2015)

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

number of registered air carriers:

3; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 19

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

2,120,578

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

major seaport(s):

Barcadera, Oranjestad

oil terminal(s):

Sint Nicolaas

cruise port(s):

Oranjestad