US: chief of mission: Consul General James L. WILLIAMS embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
Flag description: 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
Economy
Economy—overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are 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 less than 1% unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.5 billion (1997 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 6% (1997)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,000 (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1997)
Labor force: NA
Labor force—by occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1996)
Unemployment rate: 0.6% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $345.3 million
expenditures: $378.5 million, including capital expenditures of $107
million (1997 est.)
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity—production: 470 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 470 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: aloes; livestock; fish
Exports: $1.73 billion (including oil reexports)(1997)
Exports—commodities: mostly refined petroleum products
Exports—partners: US 64%, EU
Imports: $2.12 billion (1997)
Imports—commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products, crude oil for refining and reexport
Imports—partners: US 55.5%, Netherlands 12.3%, Japan 3.5%
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: 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1—1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 22,922 (1993 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands
Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 19,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 300 km
paved: 130 km
unpaved: 170 km
note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large
tracts of the interior
Ports and harbors: Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Merchant marine:
total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,366 GRT/1,595 DWT
(1998 est.)
Airports: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military—note: defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
Illicit drugs: drug-money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; added to the US list of major drug producing or drug transit countries in December 1996
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@Ashmore and Cartier Islands—————————————
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia
Geographic coordinates: 12 14 S, 123 05 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and
Cartier Island
Area—comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 74.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low with sand and coral
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all grass and sand)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards
Environment—current issues: NA
Environment—international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography—note: Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983
People
Population: