| U.S. Department of State Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs June 2004 Background Note: Aruba Flag of Aruba is 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. PROFILE OFFICIAL NAME: Aruba Geography Area: 180 sq. km. (112 sq. mi.). Cities: CapitalOranjestad (pop. 60,000, 2003). Terrain: Flat with a few hills; scant vegetation. Climate: Subtropical. People Nationality: Noun and adjectiveAruban(s). Population (2003): 94,154. Annual growth rate: 1.63%. Ethnic groups: Mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%. Religion: Roman Catholic 81%, Protestant 3%, Hindu, Muslim, Methodist, Anglican, Adventist, Evangelist, Jehovah's Witness, Jewish. Languages: Dutch (official); Papiamento, Spanish, and English also are spoken. Education: Literacy97%. Health: Infant mortality rate5.2/1,000. Life expectancy75 years for men, 81.9 years for women. Work force (41,501): Most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants and oil refining. Unemployment about 0.6%. Government Type: Parliamentary democracy. Independence: Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Branches: Executivemonarch represented by a governor (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Cabinet. Legislativeunicameral parliament. JudicialJoint High Court of Justice appointed by the monarch. Subdivisions: Aruba is divided into eight regionsNoord/Tank Leendert, Oranjestad (west), Oranjestad (east), Paradera, Santa Cruz, Savaneta, Sint Nicolaas (north), and Sint Nicolaas (south). Political parties: Aruba Solidarity Movement (MAS), Aruban Democratic Alliancer (Aliansa), Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Aruban Liberal Party (OLA), Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Aruban People's Party (AVP), Concentration for the Liberation of Aruba (CLA), People's Electoral Movement Party (MEP), For a Restructured Aruba Now (PARA), National Democratic Action (ADN). Suffrage: Universal at 18 years. Economy GDP (2003): $2.021 billion. Growth rate (2003): 1.4%. Per capita GDP (2003): $21,158. Natural resources: Beaches. Tourism/services and oil refining are dominant factors in GDP. Trade: Exports$3.48 billion (f.o.b., including oil re-exports, 2002): oil products, live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment. Major marketsU.S. (40.4%), Venezuela (19.9%), Netherlands (10.2%), Netherlands Antilles (14.8%). Imports$1.5 billion: crude petroleum, food, manufactures. Major suppliersU.S. (60.4%), Netherlands (12.7%), Netherlands Antilles (3.3%). PEOPLE AND HISTORY Aruba's first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe. Fragments of the earliest known Indian settlements date back to about 1000 A.D. Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda is regarded as the first European to arrive in about 1499. In 1636 Aruba was acquired by the Dutch and remained under their control for nearly two centuries. In 1805, during the Napoleonic wars, the English briefly took control over the island, but it was returned to Dutch control in 1816. 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. In 1986 Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's prerogative in 1990. Aruba has a mixture of people from South America and Europe, the Far East, and other islands of the Caribbean. GOVERNMENT Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba has full autonomy on all internal affairs with the exception of defense, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court. The constitution was enacted in January 1986. Executive power rests with a governor while a prime minister heads an eight-member Cabinet. The governor general is appointed for a 6-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten, or legislature, for 4-year terms. The Staten is made up of 21 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve 4-year terms. Aruba's judicial system, which has mainly been derived from the Dutch system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. Jurisdiction, including appeal, lies with the Common Court of Justice of Aruba and the Supreme Court of Justice in the Netherlands. Principal Government Officials Governor-General Fredis Jose Refunjol Prime MinisterNelson Oduber POLITICAL CONDITIONS After a break in the coalition between the ruling Arubaanse Volkspartij (AVP) and the Organisashon Liberal Arubano (OLA), the election of July 1998 was pushed forward to December 1997. Unfortunately, the results were unclear, with votes equally divided between the People's Electoral Movement Party (MEP), the AVP, and the OLA. After negotiations failed to unite the MEP and AVP, a new coalition between the AVP and OLA formed, which forced the MEP to be the opposition. Four years later in September 2001, the opposition MEP won a decisive victory in a free election, taking 12 of 21 seats to form Aruba's first one-party government. Due to its small margin of majority status, the MEP has left open the possibility of a future coalition partner. ECONOMY Through the 1990s and into the 21st century Aruba posted growth rates around 5%. However, in 2001 a decrease in demand and the terrorist attack on the United States led to the first economic contraction in 15 years. Deficit spending has been a staple in Aruba's history, and modestly high inflation has been present as well, although recent efforts at tightening monetary policy may correct this. Oil processing is the dominant industry in Aruba, despite the expansion of the tourism sector. The sizes of the agriculture and manufacturing industries remain minimal. FOREIGN RELATIONS 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. U.S.-ARUBA RELATIONS Principal U.S. Consulate Official Consul GeneralDeborah A. Bolton The U.S. Consulate for Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles is located at J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao; tel. 599-9-461-3066, fax: 599-9-461-6489, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm. Email: info@amcongencuracao.an Other Contact Information U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Trade Information Center 14th and Constitution, NW Washington, DC 20230 Tel: 1-800-USA-TRADE TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements. Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas which pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system: 202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad are on the internet and hard copies can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250. Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays. Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their passports. This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. Further Electronic Information Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://state.gov, the Department of State web site provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background Notes; daily press briefings; Country Commercial Guides; directories of key officers of Foreign Service posts and more. National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). Operated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NTDB contains a wealth of trade-related information. It is available on the Internet (www.stat-usa.gov) and on CD-ROM. Call the NTDB Help-Line at (202) 482-1986 for more information. | |
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