ARCHIVE // AW // 1998

Aruba

1998 Edition — territory

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1998 CSV Excel Print All Years
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture-products) [time series]
aloes; livestock; fishing
Budget [time series]
revenues: $376 million expenditures: $409 million, including capital expenditures of $107 million (1997 est.)
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Debt - external (Debt-external) [time series]
$669 million (December 1995)
Economic aid [time series]
the Netherlands provided a 1996 aid package of $224 million to Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and Suriname
Economic overview (Economy-overview) [time series]
Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are 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 less than 1% unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years.
Electricity - capacity (Electricity-capacity) [time series]
90,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita (Electricity-consumption per capita) [time series]
5,154 kWh (1995)
Electricity - production (Electricity-production) [time series]
340 million kWh (1995)
Exchange rates [time series]
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1-1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Exports [time series]
total value: $1.7 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: mostly refined petroleum products partners: US 64%, EU
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year Communications
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]
purchasing power parity-$1.4 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP-composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Real GDP per capita (GDP-per capita) [time series]
purchasing power parity-$21,000 (1996 est.)
Real GDP growth rate (GDP-real growth rate) [time series]
4% (1996 est.)
Imports [time series]
total value: $2 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products, crude oil for refining and reexport partners: US 8%, EU
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
NA%
Industries [time series]
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Inflation rate (consumer prices) (Inflation rate-consumer price index) [time series]
3.2% (1996)
Labor force [time series]
NA by occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1996)
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 4, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios [time series]
NA
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
domestic: more than adequate international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]
22,922 (1993 est.)
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
1
Televisions [time series]
19,000 (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate [time series]
0.6% (1996 est.)
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative (Area-comparative) [time series]
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline [time series]
68.5 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Environment - current issues (Environment-current issues) [time series]
NA
International environmental agreements (Environment-international agreements) [time series]
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates [time series]
12 30 N, 69 58 W
Irrigated land [time series]
NA sq km
Land boundaries [time series]
0 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: 11% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 89% (1993 est.)
Location [time series]
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Map references [time series]
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Natural resources [time series]
negligible; white sandy beaches
Terrain [time series]
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Constitution [time series]
1 January 1986
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Data code [time series]
AA
Dependency status [time series]
part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
chief of mission: Consul General James L. WILLIAMS embassy: J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P.O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten) elections: the queen is a constitutional monarch; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the queen; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for a four-year term; election last held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001) election results: inconclusive; no party won majority in December 1997 parliamentary elections; no new government formed as of May 1998
Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]
461-6489
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
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
Government type [time series]
parliamentary
Independence [time series]
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)
International organization participation [time series]
ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Judicial branch [time series]
Joint High Court of Justice; judges are appointed by the Netherlands monarch
Legal system [time series]
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch [time series]
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote and serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by NA December 2001) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2; although elections were held 12 December 1997, a new government had not been formed as of May 1998
Capital (National capital) [time series]
Oranjestad
National holiday [time series]
Flag Day, 18 March
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]; New Patriotic Party or PPN [Eddy WERLEMEN]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Democratic Action '86 or AD '86 [Arturo ODUBER]; Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal
Military
Military - note (Military-note) [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 22% (male 7,775; female 7,114) 15-64 years: 69% (male 22,616; female 24,700) 65 years and over: 9% (male 2,523; female 3,597) (July 1998 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
13.74 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate [time series]
6.4 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Infant mortality rate [time series]
7.96 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Languages [time series]
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 76.92 years male: 73.22 years female: 80.81 years (1998 est.)
Literacy [time series]
NA
Nationality [time series]
noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban
Net migration rate [time series]
-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Population [time series]
68,325 (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
0.47% (1998 est.)
Religions [time series]
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
1.81 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international (Disputes-international) [time series]
none
Illicit drugs [time series]
drug money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; added to the US list of major drug producing or drug transit countries in December 1996 ASHMORE AND CARTIER ISLANDS (territory of Australia)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
2 (1997 est.)
Airports - with paved runways (Airports-with paved runways) [time series]
total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,365 GRT/29,170 DWT (1997 est.)
Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]
Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Railways [time series]
0 km