The 1999 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

(1999 est.)

      Military manpower—reaching military age annually:

       males: 32,052 (1999 est.)

      Military expenditures—dollar figure: $72.1 million (1999)

      Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 4% (1999)

      Transnational Issues

      Disputes—international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the

       Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding,

       separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; traditional

       demands on former Armenian lands in Turkey have subsided

      Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis mostly for domestic

       consumption; increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit

       drugs—mostly opium and hashish—to Western Europe and the US via

       Iran, Central Asia, and Russia

      ======================================================================

      @Aruba——

      Geography

      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

       land: 193 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: Mount Jamanota 188 m

      Natural resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches

      Land use:

       arable land: 11%

       permanent crops: NA%

       permanent pastures: NA%

       forests and woodland: NA%

       other: 89% (1993 est.)

      Irrigated land: NA sq km

      Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

      Environment—current issues: NA

      Environment—international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

      People

      Population: 68,675 (July 1999 est.)

      Age structure:

       0–14 years: 22% (male 7,724; female 7,106)

       15–64 years: 69% (male 22,723; female 24,747)

       65 years and over: 9% (male 2,623; female 3,752) (1999 est.)

      Population growth rate: 0.55% (1999 est.)

      Birth rate: 13.28 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

      Death rate: 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

      Net migration rate: −1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

      Sex ratio:

       at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

       under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female

       15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

       65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

       total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

      Infant mortality rate: 7.84 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.04 years male: 73.33 years female: 80.94 years (1999 est.)

      Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1999 est.)

      Nationality: noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban

      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: NA

      Government

      Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba

      Data code: AA

      Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles

      Government type: parliamentary

      Capital: Oranjestad

      Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the

       Netherlands)

      Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)

      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 Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands

       (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo

       KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)

       head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29

       July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES

       cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten)

       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 a four-year term; election last

       held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001)

       election results: inconclusive; no party won majority in December

       1997 parliamentary elections; no new government formed as of May 1998

      Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats;

       members elected by direct popular vote and serve four-year terms)

       elections: last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by NA

       December 2001)

       election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—AVP

       10, MEP 9, OLA 2

      Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges are

       appointed by the monarch)

      Political parties and leaders: Electoral Movement Party or MEP

      International organization participation: Caricom (observer),

       ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO

       (associate)

      Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the

       Kingdom of the Netherlands)