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)

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:

0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.65 male(s)/female

total population:

0.9 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• difficulty in properly disposing of waste produced by large numbers of tourists;
• waste burning that occurs in the landfill causes air pollution and poses an environmental and health risk;
• ocean environmental damage due to plastic pollution

urban population:

43.9% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

0.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

88,132 tons (2013 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

9,695 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

11% (2013 est.)

conventional long form:

Country of Aruba

conventional short form:

Aruba

local long form:

Land Aruba (Dutch); Pais Aruba (Papiamento)

local 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)

etymology:

translates as "orange town" in Dutch; the city is named after William I (1533-1584), Prince of Orange, the first ruler of the Netherlands

history:

• 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);
• in 1986, Aruba became a semi-autonomous entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands

chief of state:

King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Alfonso BOEKHOUDT (since 1 January 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister Evelyn WEVER-CROES (since 17 November 2017)

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 term;
• election last held on 25 June 2021 (next to be held by June 2026)

election results:

as leader of the majority party of the ruling coalition, Evelyn WEVER-CROES (MEP) elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

highest courts:

• Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius 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 for life by the monarch

subordinate courts:

Court in First Instance

• Accion21 [Miguel MANSUR]
• Aruban People's Party or AVP [Michiel "Mike" EMAN]
• Democratic Electoral Network or RED [L.R. CROES]
• Movimiento Aruba Soberano or MAS [Marisol LOPEZ-TROMP]
• People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Evelyn WEVER-CROES]
• Pueblo Orguyoso y Respeta or POR [O.E. ODUBER]
• RAIZ (ROOTS) [Ursell ARENDS]
• 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

• 2 commercial TV stations;
• cable TV subscription service provides access to foreign channels;
• about 19 commercial radio stations broadcast (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 19

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

274,280 (2018)

total:

1

by type:

other 1 (2021)

major seaport(s):

Barcadera, Oranjestad

oil terminal(s):

Sint Nicolaas

cruise port(s):

Oranjestad

• defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
• the Aruba security services focus on organized crime and terrorism;
• the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy;
• the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) provides maritime security

current situation:

• human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims;
• foreign men and women are subject to forced labor in Aruba’s services and construction sectors;
• Venezuelans overstaying visas are at risk of forced labor in domestic service, construction, and commercial sex;
• Chinese men and women and Indian men are subject to forced labor in retail businesses and domestic service;
• managers of some Chinese-owned grocery stores and restaurants exploit children through sex trafficking and forced labor

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — Aruba does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government provided officials with anti-trafficking training, continued an awareness campaign, and continued to implement the 2018-2022 national action plan;
• however, officials investigated fewer trafficking cases and did not report prosecuting or convicting any traffickers;
• efforts were hindered by the conflation of trafficking with migrant smuggling;
• authorities also did not report identifying any victims, including Venezuelan migrants and refugees, who are vulnerable to trafficking (2020)