The 1991 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $60 billion, creating severe debt-servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders.

      _#_GNP: $82.7 billion, per capita $2,560; real growth rate - 3.5% (1990 est.)

      _#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,350% (1990)

      _#_Unemployment rate: 8.6% (May 1990)

      _#_Budget: revenues $12.2 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (1989)

      _#_Exports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

      commodities—meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool;

      partners—US 12%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands

      _#_Imports: $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

      commodities—machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products;

      partners—US 22%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands

      _#_External debt: $60 billion (December 1990)

      _#_Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP

      _#_Electricity: 16,749,000 kW capacity; 45,580 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh per capita (1990)

      _#_Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

      _#_Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops—wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets; 1987 fish catch estimated at 500,000 tons

      _#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $4.0 billion; Communist countries (1970–89), $718 million

      _#_Currency: austral (plural—australes); 1 austral (2) = 100 centavos

      _#_Exchange rates: australes (2) per US$1—9,900 (April 1991), 4,707 (1990), 423 (1989), 8.7526 (1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985)

      _#_Fiscal year: calendar year

      _*Communications #_Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 169 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter gauge, and 0.750-meter gauge

      _#_Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth

      _#_Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable

      _#_Pipelines: 4,090 km crude oil; 2,900 km refined products; 9,918 km natural gas

      _#_Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe

      _#_Merchant marine: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,663,884 GRT/2,689,645 DWT; includes 42 cargo, 7 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 47 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 18 bulk; additionally, 2 naval tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially

      _#_Civil air: 54 major transport aircraft

      _#_Airports: 1,763 total, 1,575 usable; 135 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 336 with runways 1,220–2,439 m

      _#_Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); radio relay widely used; stations—171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 stations

      _*Defense Forces #_Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force

      _#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 7,992,140; 6,478,730 fit for military service; 285,047 reach military age (20) annually

      _#Defense expenditures: $700 million, 1% of GNP (1990) % @Aruba (part of the Dutch realm) *Geography #_Total area: 193 km2; land area: 193 km2

      _#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

      _#_Land boundaries: none

      _#_Coastline: 68.5 km

      _#_Maritime claims:

      Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;

      Territorial sea: 12 nm

      _#_Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

      _#_Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

      _#_Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches

      _#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%

      _#_Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

      _#_Note: 28 km north of Venezuela

      _*People #_Population: 64,052 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

      _#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

      _#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1991)

      _#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)

      _#_Nationality: noun—Aruban(s); adjective—Aruban

      _#_Ethnic divisions: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%

      _#_Religion: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority

      _#_Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

      _#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)

      _#_Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)

      _#_Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)

      _*Government #_Long-form name: none

      _#_Type: part of the Dutch realm—full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles

      _#_Capital: Oranjestad

      _#_Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

      _#_Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm); note—in 1990 Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996

      _#_Constitution: 1 January 1986

      _#_Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

      _#_National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March

      _#_Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

      _#_Legislative branch: unicameral legislature (Staten)

      _#_Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice

      _#_Leaders:

      Chief of State—Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986);

      Head of Government—Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)

      _#_Political parties and leaders:

       Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER;

       Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny EMAN;

       National