Aruba

Background of Aruba

Although Aruba conducts foreign affairs primarily through the Dutch Government, it also has strong relations with other Caribbean governments. Aruba is an observer in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), an associate member of the World Trade Organization through the Netherlands, and is a full member of the Association of Caribbean States.

Geography of ARUBA

• 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: 180 sq km

country comparison to the world: 218

land: 180 sq km

water

0 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: Ceru Jamanota 188 m

• Natural resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches

• Land use:

arable land: 11.11%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 88.89% (2005)

• Irrigated land: NA

• Natural hazards: hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened

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)

People and Society of ARUBA

• Nationality:

noun: Aruban(s)

adjective: Aruban; Dutch

• Ethnic groups: Dutch 82.1%, Colombian 6.6%, Venezuelan 2.2%, Dominican 2.2%, Haitian 1.2%, other 5.5%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

• Languages: Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 69.4%, Spanish 13.7%, English (widely spoken) 7.1%, Dutch (official) 6.1%, Chinese 1.5%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)

• Religions: Roman Catholic 75.3%, Protestant 4.9% (includes Methodist .9%, Adventist .9%, Anglican .4%, other Protestant 2.7%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 12%, none 5.5%, unspecified 0.5% (2010 est.)

• Population: 110,663 (July 2014 est.)

• country comparison to the world: 190

Age structure:

0-14 years: 17.8% (male 9,852/female 9,797)

15-24 years: 13.5% (male 7,469/female 7,427)

25-54 years: 43% (male 22,981/female 24,615)

55-64 years: 13.5% (male 6,804/female 8,093)

65 years and over: 12.3% (male 5,346/female 8,279) (2014 est.)

• population pyramid:

Dependency ratios:

total dependency ratio: 44.1 %

youth dependency ratio: 27.1 %

elderly dependency ratio: 16.9 %

potential support ratio: 5.9 (2014 est.)

• Median age:

total: 38.8 years

male: 36.9 years

female: 40.6 years (2014 est.)

• Population growth rate: 1.36% (2014 est.)

• country comparison to the world: 90

Birth rate: 12.65 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)

country comparison to the world: 158

• Death rate: 8.09 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

country comparison to the world: 96

Net migration rate: 9.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)

country comparison to the world: 15

• Urbanization:

urban population: 46.8% of total population (2011)

rate of urbanization: 0.54% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas - population:

• ORANJESTAD (capital) 37,000 (2011)

Sex ratio:

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: 0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female

total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

• Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.74 deaths/1,000 live births

country comparison to the world: 128

male: 15.44 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

• Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.35 years

country comparison to the world: 82

male: 73.3 years

female: 79.47 years (2014 est.)

• Total fertility rate:

1.84 children born/woman (2014 est.)

country comparison to the world: 150

• Drinking water source:

improved:

urban: 97.8% of population

rural: 97.8% of population

total: 97.8% of population

unimproved:

urban: 2.2% of population

rural: 2.2% of population

total: 2.2% of population (2012 est.)

• Sanitation facility access:

improved:

urban: 97.7% of population

rural: 97.7% of population

total: 97.7% of population

unimproved:

urban: 2.3% of population

rural: 2.3% of population

total: 2.3% of population (2012 est.)

• HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
• HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
• HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

• Education expenditures: 6% of GDP (2011)

country comparison to the world: 41

• Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.8%

male: 96.9%

female: 96.7% (2010 est.)

• School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2011)

• Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total: 23.2%

country comparison to the world: 47

male: 24.1%

female: 22.9% (2007)

Government of Aruba

• Country name:

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Aruba

• Dependency status: 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

• Government type:

parliamentary democracy

• Capital:

name: Oranjestad

geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

• Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

• National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March (1976)

• Constitution: 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); note - in October 2010, following dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2013)

• Legal system: civil law system based on the Dutch civil code

• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

• Executive branch:

chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Michiel "Mike" Godfried EMAN (since 30 October 2009)

cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten

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elections: the monarchy 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 on 25 September 2009 (next to be held by September 2013)

election results: Michiel "Mike" Godfried EMAN elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

• Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held on 27 September 2013 (next to be held in 2017)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AVP 13, MEP 8

• Judicial branch:

highest court(s): Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatitus and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (consists of the presiding judge, NA members, and NA substitutes); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court, in The Hague, Netherlands

note - prior to 2010, the Joint Court of Justice was the Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba judge selection and term of office: Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch for life

subordinate courts: Courts in First Instance

• Political parties and leaders:

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 [Michiel "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]

• Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: environmental groups

• International organization participation: Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU

• Diplomatic representation in the US: 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

(Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Curacao, currently Consul General Valerie BELON, is accredited to Aruba

Flag description: 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

Disclaimer

This is not the official site of this country. Most of the information in this site were taken from the U.S. Department of State, The Central Intelligence Agency, The United Nations, [1],[2], [3], [4], [5],[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14],[15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24],[25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30],[31], [32], [33], [34], and the [35].

Other sources of information will be mentioned as they are posted.