Akrotiri (2006) | Aruba (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years:
21.29% (male 7,709; female 7,193) 15-64 years: 68.52% (male 23,111; female 24,859) 65 years and over: 10.19% (male 2,954; female 4,181) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | aloes; livestock; fish |
Airports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
total:
193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
Background | By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. | 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. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. |
Birth rate | - | 12.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues:
$NA expenditures: $541 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia
geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Oranjestad |
Climate | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 56.3 km | 68.5 km |
Constitution | Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 | 1 January 1986 |
Country name | conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Aruba |
Currency | - | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
Death rate | - | 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $285 million (1996) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus | part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission:
Consul General Barbara J. STEPHENSON embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066 FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
Disputes - international | - | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 418.5 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 450 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | - | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
Environment - current issues | shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% |
Exchange rates | - | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch |
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 Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ 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 four-year terms; election last held 12 July 1997 (next to be held by December 2001) election results: Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA%; Lili BEKE-MARTINEZ elected deputy prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
Exports | - | $2.2 billion (including oil reexports) (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | - | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment |
Exports - partners | - | US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of the UK is used | 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $2 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 3.5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 34 37 N, 32 58 E | 12 30 N, 69 58 W |
Geography - note | British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus | - |
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) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | drug-money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe |
Imports | - | $2.5 billion (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | - | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | - | US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999) |
Independence | - | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
Infant mortality rate | - | 6.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 4.2% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | - | Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | - | 0.01 sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) |
Labor force | - | 41,501 (1997 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining |
Land boundaries | total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
0 km |
Land use | - | arable land:
7% (including aloe 0.01%) permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 93% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, Greek | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to 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 - AVP 43%, MEP 39%, OLA 9% PPA 4%, ADN 2%, PARA 1%, MAS 0.5%; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population:
78.52 years male: 75.16 years female: 82.04 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition:
NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
Map references | Middle East | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | - | territorial sea:
12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,120 GRT/3,635 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
Military branches | - | Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard |
National holiday | - | Flag Day, 18 March |
Nationality | - | noun:
Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
Natural hazards | - | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt |
Natural resources | - | NEGL; white sandy beaches |
Net migration rate | - | NEGL |
Political parties and leaders | - | Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Tico CROES]; Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [leader NA]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there |
70,007 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.64% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas |
Radio broadcast stations | FM 1
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) |
AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 50,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | - | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish |
Sex ratio | - | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | - | general assessment:
NA domestic: more than adequate international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 33,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 3,402 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | - | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.8 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 0.6% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |