|
|
| Background: |
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. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island in the
Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
12 30 N, 69 58 W |
| Map
references: |
Central
America and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 193
sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 193 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger than Washington, DC |
| Land
boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
68.5 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial sea:
12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical marine; little
seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: |
flat with a few hills;
scant vegetation |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean
Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
| Natural
resources: |
NEGL; white sandy beaches
|
| Land
use: |
arable land: 10.53%
(including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0%
other:
89.47% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
|
| Natural
hazards: |
lies outside the Caribbean
hurricane belt |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| 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)
|
| Population: |
70,844 (July 2003 est.)
|
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 20.7%
(male 7,540; female 7,121)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 23,427;
female 24,955)
65 years and over: 11% (male 3,215; female
4,586) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 37.1 years
male: 35.3 years
female: 38.5 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.55% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
11.86 births/1,000 population
(2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.38 deaths/1,000 population
(2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female
(2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 6.14 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003
est.)
male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
78.83 years
male: 75.48 years
female: 82.34
years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.79 children born/woman
(2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mixed white/Caribbean
Amerindian 80% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant
8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish |
| Languages: |
Dutch (official), Papiamento
(a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken),
Spanish |
| Literacy: |
definition:
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female:
NA%
|
| 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.
Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level.
In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a
major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further
spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate
have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp
rises in wage rates in recent years. Tourist arrivals have declined
in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.
The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade
balance. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-1.5% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.2% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
41,501 (1997 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed
by hotels and restaurants; oil refining |
| Unemployment
rate: |
0.6% |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$135.81 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000) |
| Industries: |
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA |
| Agriculture
- products: |
aloes; livestock; fish |
| Exports: |
$1.88 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2002 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and
electrical equipment, transport equipment |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 26.9%, Venezuela 20.9%, Netherlands Antilles 19.5%, Netherlands 14.2%
(2001) |
| Imports: |
$2.21 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport,
chemicals; foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 61.8%, Netherlands 11.7%, Venezuela 3.1%, Japan 2.6% (2001) |
| Debt
- external: |
$285 million (1996) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid
package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 |
| Currency: |
Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
| Currency
code: |
AWG |
| Exchange
rates: |
Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79
(2000), 1.79 (1999), 1.79 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
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