ARUBA                                                                           
(part of the Dutch realm)                                                       
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 193 km2; land area: 193 km2                                         
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC                           
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 68.5 km                                                              
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;                                                  
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation                 
                                                                                
Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation                                
                                                                                
Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches                              
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and                       
pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%                                 
                                                                                
Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt                          
                                                                                
Note: 28 km north of Venezuela                                                  
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 64,052 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)                         
                                                                                
Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                        
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Aruban(s); adjective--Aruban                                 
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%                           
                                                                                
Religion: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu,                  
Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority                                          
                                                                                
Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese,                  
Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish                       
                                                                                
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)                                            
                                                                                
Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry                 
(1986)                                                                          
                                                                                
Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)                               
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
Type: part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs                
obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles                  
                                                                                
Capital: Oranjestad                                                             
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the                      
Netherlands)                                                                    
                                                                                
Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm); note--in 1990 Aruba               
requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the                 
agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996              
                                                                                
Constitution: 1 January 1986                                                    
                                                                                
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English                
common law influence                                                            
National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March                                            
                                                                                
Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council              
of Ministers (cabinet)                                                          
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral legislature (Staten)                             
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice                                    
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April                
1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January         
1986);                                                                          
                                                                                
Head of Government--Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February             
1989)                                                                           
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER;                                  
Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny EMAN;                                        
National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY;                           
New Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN;                                       
Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Leo CHANCE;                                       
Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI;                                   
Democratic Action '86 (AD'86), Arturo ODUBER;                                   
governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN                              
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Legislature--last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by January               
1993);                                                                          
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1                            
                                                                                
Member of: ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate),                
WCL, WTO (associate)                                                            
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the                     
Netherlands)                                                                    
                                                                                
Flag: 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                                                               
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although                      
offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important.               
Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989 and nearly                
doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about            
20% in 1986 to about 2% in 1990. The reopening of the local oil                 
refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange                
earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.                     
                                                                                
GDP: $730 million, per capita $11,600; real growth rate 8.8%                    
(1989 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (1990 est.)                              
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1990 est.)                                             
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including             
capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)                                      
                                                                                
Exports: $131.6 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                    
                                                                                
commodities--mostly petroleum products;                                         
                                                                                
partners--US 64%, EC                                                            
                                                                                
Imports: $496 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--food, consumer goods, manufactures;                                
                                                                                
partners--US 8%, EC                                                             
                                                                                
External debt: $81 million (1987)                                               
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA                                           
                                                                                
Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,000              
kWh per capita (1990)                                                           
                                                                                
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining                     
                                                                                
Agriculture: poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural             
activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing               
                                                                                
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral                  
commitments (1980-1988), $200 million                                           
                                                                                
Currency: Aruban florin (plural--florins);                                      
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents                                               
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1--1.7900 (fixed rate               
since 1986)                                                                     
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Ports: Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas                                                
                                                                                
Airfield: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: generally adequate; extensive interisland radio             
relay links; 72,168 telephones; stations--4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable         
to Sint Maarten                                                                 
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands                          
                                                                                
