The 2005 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks

       on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a

       negative trade balance.

      GDP (purchasing power parity):

       $1.94 billion (2002 est.)

      GDP - real growth rate:

       −1.5% (2002 est.)

      GDP - per capita:

       purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.)

      GDP - composition by sector:

       agriculture: NA%

       industry: NA%

       services: NA%

      Labor force:

       41,500 (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% (2003 est.)

      Population below poverty line:

       NA

      Household income or consumption by percentage share:

       lowest 10%: NA

       highest 10%: NA

      Inflation rate (consumer prices):

       3.2% (2002 est.)

      Budget:

       revenues: $135.8 million

       expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of NA

       (2000)

      Agriculture - products:

       aloes; livestock; fish

      Industries:

       tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

      Industrial production growth rate:

       NA%

      Electricity - production:

       807.7 million kWh (2002)

      Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

      Electricity - consumption:

       751.2 million kWh (2002)

      Electricity - exports:

       0 kWh (2002)

      Electricity - imports:

       0 kWh (2002)

      Oil - production:

       0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

      Oil - consumption:

       6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

      Oil - exports:

       NA

      Oil - imports:

       NA

      Exports:

       $128 million f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2002 est.)

      Exports - commodities:

       live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery

       and electrical equipment, transport equipment

      Exports - partners:

       Netherlands 28.5%, Panama 17.5%, Venezuela 14.7%, Netherlands

       Antilles 11.2%, Colombia 10.7%, US 10.4% (2004)

      Imports:

       $841 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

      Imports - commodities:

       machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and

       reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs

      Imports - partners:

       US 55.5%, Netherlands 14.1%, Venezuela 3.3% (2004)

      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 (code):

       Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)

      Currency code:

       AWG

      Exchange rates:

       Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003),

       1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000)

      Fiscal year:

       calendar year

      Communications Aruba

      Telephones - main lines in use:

       37,100 (2002)

      Telephones - mobile cellular:

       53,000 (2001)

      Telephone system:

       general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system

       domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless

       service providers are now licensed

       international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten

       (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay

       links

      Radio broadcast stations:

       AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)

      Radios:

       50,000 (1997)

      Television broadcast stations:

       1 (1997)

      Televisions:

       20,000 (1997)

      Internet country code:

       .aw

      Internet hosts:

       923 (2001)

      Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

       NA

      Internet users:

       24,000 (2002)

      Transportation Aruba

      Highways:

       total: 800 km

       paved: 513 km

       unpaved: 287 km

       note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large

       tracts of the interior (1995)

      Ports and harbors:

       Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

      Airports:

       1 (2004 est.)

      Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

      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:

       transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some

       accompanying money-laundering activity

      This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

      @Ashmore