|
2 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Aruba
n : a popular island resort in the Netherlands Antilles
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Aruba
Introduction Aruba
------------------
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.
Geography 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: 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)
People Aruba
------------
Population: 70,441 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (male 7,635; female
7,169)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 23,270;
female 24,906)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male
3,081; female 4,380) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.59% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 12.22 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.67 years
female: 82.19 years (2002 est.)
male: 75.32 years
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
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: NA
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Aruba
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba
Dependency status: part 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: Oranjestad
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
Constitution: 1 January 1986
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system,
with some English common law
influence
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the
Netherlands (since 30 April 1980),
represented by Governor General
Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister
Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October
2001); deputy prime minister NA
cabinet: Council of Ministers
(elected by the Staten)
election results: Nelson O. ODUBER
elected prime minister; percent of
legislative vote - NA%
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 28 September 2001 (next to be
held by December 2005)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21
seats; members elected by direct,
popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
election results: percent of vote by
party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%, PPA
9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other
2.1%; seats by party - MEP 12, AVP
6, PPA 2, OLA 1
elections: last held 28 September
2001 (next to be held by NA 2005)
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges
are appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS
[leader NA]; Aruban Democratic
Alliance or Aliansa [leader NA];
Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo
BERLINSKI]; Aruban Liberal Party or
OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban
Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny
NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or
AVP [Tico CROES]; Concentration for
the Liberation of Aruba or CLA
[leader NA]; People's Electoral
Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O.
ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba
Now or PARA [leader NA]; National
Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro
Charro KELLY]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization Caricom (observer), ECLAC
participation: (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO
(associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the Kingdom of
the Netherlands)
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Consul General
US: Barbara J. STEPHENSON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1,
Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158,
Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489
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
Economy Aruba
-------------
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. The
government's goal of balancing the
budget within two years will hamper
expenditures, as will the decline in
stopover tourist arrivals following
the 11 September terrorist attacks.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.94
billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2000)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $28,000
(2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2000)
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% (1999 est.)
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%
Electricity - production: 450 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 418.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: aloes; livestock; fish
Exports: $2.58 billion (including oil
reexports) (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: live animals and animal products,
art and collectibles, machinery and
electrical equipment, transport
equipment
Exports - partners: US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands
12% (1999)
Imports: $2.61 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment,
crude oil for refining and reexport,
chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands
Antilles 3%, Japan (1999)
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 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since
1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Aruba
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 33,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,402 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to
Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles);
extensive interisland microwave
radio relay links
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 50,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 20,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .aw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 4,000 (2000)
Transportation Aruba
--------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 800 km
paved: 513 km
note: most coastal roads are paved,
while unpaved roads serve large
tracts of the interior (1995)
unpaved: 287 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Merchant marine: includes a foreign-owned ship
registered here as a flag of
convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Military Aruba
--------------
Military branches: no regular indigenous military
forces; Royal Dutch Navy and
Marines, Coast Guard
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Transnational Issues Aruba
--------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: drug-money-laundering center and
transit point for narcotics bound
for the US and Europe
Powered by Blog Dictionary [BlogDict]
Kindly supported by
Vaffle Invitation Code
Get a Freelance Job - Outsource Your Projects | Threadless Coupon
All rights
reserved. (2008-2024)