]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela ^# 12 30 N, 69 58 W ^$ Central America and the Caribbean ^% `! 193 sq km `" 193 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& slightly larger than Washington, DC ^' 0 km ^( 68.5 km ^) `$ 12 nm ^* tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation ^+ flat with a few hills; scant vegetation ^, `% Caribbean Sea 0 m `& Mount Jamanota 188 m ^- NEGL; white sandy beaches ^. `' 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%) `( 0% `) 89.47% (2001) ^/ 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt ^1 NA ^2 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) 
]# ^3 71,566 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 19.9% (male 7,308/female 6,960) `+ 68.2% (male 23,736/female 25,068) `, 11.9% (male 3,486/female 5,008) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 38 years `- 36.07 years `. 39.7 years (2005 est.) ^6 0.47% (2005 est.) ^7 11.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 6.57 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.05 male(s)/female `+ 0.95 male(s)/female `, 0.7 male(s)/female `1 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 5.89 deaths/1,000 live births `- 6.71 deaths/1,000 live births `. 5.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 79.14 years `- 75.8 years `. 82.65 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `2 Aruban(s) `3 Aruban; Dutch ^B mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% ^C Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish ^D Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish ^E definition: `1 97% `- NA% `. NA% 
]$ ^F `4 none `5 Aruba ^G 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 ^H parliamentary democracy ^I Oranjestad ^J none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) ^K none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) ^L Flag Day, 18 March ^M 1 January 1986 ^N based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004) `7 Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) `8 Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten) `9 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) `: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA ^Q unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) `9 last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held by NA 2009) `: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1 ^R Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch) ^S 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 [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] ^T NA ^U ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WToO (associate) ^V 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 ^W the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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 exceptionally low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. Tourist arrivals have declined in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade balance. ^Z $1.94 billion (2002 est.) ^[ -1.5% (2002 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.) ^] `; NA% `< NA% `= NA% ^^ 41,500 (1997 est.) ^_ most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining ^` 0.6% (2003 est.) ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" 3.2% (2002 est.) _# `@ $135.8 million `A $147 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000) _$ aloes; livestock; fish _% tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining _& NA% _' 807.7 million kWh (2002) _( 751.2 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ $128 million f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2002 est.) _0 live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment _1 Netherlands 28.5%, Panama 17.5%, Venezuela 14.7%, Netherlands Antilles 11.2%, Colombia 10.7%, US 10.4% (2004) _2 $841 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _3 machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs _4 US 55.5%, Netherlands 14.1%, Venezuela 3.3% (2004) _5 $285 million (1996) _6 $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 _7 Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) _8 Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 37,100 (2002) _; 53,000 (2001) _< `B modern fully automatic telecommunications system `C increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed `D country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links _= AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004) _> 1 (1997) _? .aw _@ 923 (2001) _A 24,000 (2002) 
]' _B `! 800 km `E 513 km `F 287 km note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior (1995) _C Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas _D 1 (2004 est.) _E `! 1 `G 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard _G defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 
]) _H none _I transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity 