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.

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
12 30 N, 69 58 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 193 sq km ; land: 193 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
slightly larger than Washington, DC
0 km
68.5 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m ; highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
NEGL; white sandy beaches
arable land: 10.53% ; permanent crops: 0% ; other: 89.47% (2005)
0.01 sq km (1998 est.)


lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
NA

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)
100,018 ; note: estimate based on a revision of the base population, fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-1999 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 19.7% (male 9,943/female 9,761) ; 15-64 years: 70.2% (male 33,553/female 36,661) ; 65 years and over: 10.1% (male 4,046/female 6,054) (2007 est.)
total: 37.3 years ; male: 35.5 years ; female: 39 years (2007 est.)
1.522% (2007 est.)
12.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
10 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.915 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.668 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.906 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 19.59 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 74.83 years ; male: 71.8 years ; female: 77.91 years (2007 est.)
1.85 children born/woman (2007 est.)
NA
NA
NA
noun: Aruban(s) ; adjective: Aruban; Dutch
mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, other (includes Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 10%
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)
definition: NA ; total population: 97.3% ; male: 97.5% ; female: 97.1% (2000 census)


conventional long form: none ; conventional short form: Aruba
parliamentary democracy
name: Oranjestad ; geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W ; time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
1 January 1986
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
18 years of age; universal
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 Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) ; 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
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) ; elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held in 2009) ; election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1
Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch)
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]
NA
Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO
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
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
the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
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




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, and 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.
$2.258 billion (2005 est.)
$2.258 billion (2005 est.)
2.4% (2005 est.)
$21,800 (2004 est.)
agriculture: 0.4% ; industry: 33.3% ; services: 66.3% (2002 est.)
41,500 (2004 est.)
agriculture: NA% ; industry: NA% ; services: NA% ; note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
6.9% (2005 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

3.4% (2005)

revenues: $507.9 million ; expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)
46.3% of GDP (2005)
aloes; livestock; fish
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
NA%
770 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 100% ; hydro: 0% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
716.1 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
2,356 bbl/day (2005)
7,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
230,600 bbl/day (2004)
235,000 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006)

$124 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2006)
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Netherlands 27.7%, Panama 25.5%, Colombia 12.8%, Venezuela 11.1%, US 9.4%, Netherlands Antilles 7.1% (2006)
$1.054 billion f.o.b. (2006)
US 53.6%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.6% (2006)


$478.6 million (2005 est.)



Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
AWG
Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)
calendar year
$11.3 million (2004)
38,300 (2005)
108,200 (2005)
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)
AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)
50,000 (1997)
1 (1997)
20,000 (1997)
.aw
16,914 (2007)
NA
24,000 (2005)

1 (2007)
total: 1 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)




total: 800 km ; paved: 513 km ; unpaved: 287 km


Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

no regular indigenous military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2005)

males age 18-49: 16,278 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 13,219 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 520 (2005 est.)

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
none

transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine

