macrohistory & world report

Aruba

Commonwealth of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea

World Factbook as of October 2014: "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. "

Estimated per capita GDP
2011: $25,300, 133rd of 121 countries

People

Infant mortality (deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live births)
2013: 11.74deaths
2010: 12.92 deaths
2009: 13.79
2008: 14.26
2007: 14.75

Average life expectancy at birth:
2013: 76.35 years
2011: 75.72 years

Living in an urban area
2011: 46.8%
2010: 47%

Birth / death rate per 1,000 population
2013: 12.65 / 8.09
2011: births 12.78

Population growth rate:
2014: 1.36% compared to 0.77 for the United States.

Population:
July 2014: 110,663

Density estimated for 2006 is 1,479 persons per square mile.

Arubans are Dutch citizens

Net migration rate
2009: More arriving than leaving. A net gain of 9.7 per 1,000 population.

Ethnic groups
World Factbook (2010): Dutch 82.1%, Colombian 6.6%, Venezuelan 2.2%, Dominican 2.2%, Haitian 1.2%, other 5.5%, unspecified 0.1%

Religions
World Factbook (2011): Roman Catholic 80.8%, Evangelist 4.1%, Protestant 2.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%, Methodist 1.2%, Jewish 0.2%, other 5.1%, none or unspecified 4.6%

Geography

An island in the Caribbean about 50 kilometers north of Venezuela. It is 32 kilometers long with an area of 193 square kilometers, equivalent to almost 14 by 14 kilometers or 8.7 by 8.7 miles. It is outside the hurricane belt, with beautiful beaches and very the clear water, but it's windy.

Government

Unicameral legislature, with 21 seats and members elected by direct popular vote for four-year terms.

Capital: Oranjestad.

Recent History

Acquired by the Dutch in 1636.

In 1986 seceded from the Netherlands Antilles and became an autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

2000: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) names Aruba as a "non-cooperative tax haven," rescinded after promising greater openness.

2003: Aruba and the US agree to exchange tax data to help combat money-laundering.

2005: Tourist Natalee Holloway disappears after leaving a nightclub in Oranjestad in a car with locals Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. Her body has not bee discovered as of June 18, 2011.

SOURCES:
The World Factbook