Aruba (2001) | Isle of Man (2005) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections |
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.) |
0-14 years: 17.4% (male 6,681/female 6,365)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 24,693/female 24,482) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,163/female 7,665) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | aloes; livestock; fish | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Washington, DC | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. |
Birth rate | 12.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.18 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$NA expenditures: $541 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY00/01 est.) |
Capital | Oranjestad | Douglas |
Climate | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time |
Coastline | 68.5 km | 160 km |
Constitution | 1 January 1986 | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Aruba |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man |
Currency | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) | - |
Death rate | 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $285 million (1996) | $NA |
Dependency status | 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 | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 | NA |
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. | Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. |
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 |
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution |
Ethnic groups | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton |
Exchange rates | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) | Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000) |
Executive branch | 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% |
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Ian MACFADYEN (since 26 October 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the Chief Minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2004 (next to be held December 2010) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004 |
Exports | $2.2 billion (including oil reexports) (2000 est.) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb |
Exports - partners | US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999) | UK (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
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 | red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $28,500 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.5% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 N, 69 58 W | 54 15 N, 4 30 W |
Geography - note | - | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary |
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) |
total: 800 km
paved: 800 km unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
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.) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs | timber, fertilizers, fish |
Imports - partners | US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999) | UK (2000) |
Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 3.2% (FY96/97) |
Industries | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 6.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 5.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.2% (2000 est.) | 3.6% (March 2003 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate) | UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | 0.01 sq km | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) |
Labor force | 41,501 (1997 est.) | 39,690 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining | agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% |
Land boundaries | 0 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.) |
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002) |
Languages | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish | English, Manx Gaelic |
Legal system | based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence | English common law and Manx statute |
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 |
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2006) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
78.52 years male: 75.16 years female: 82.04 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.34 years
male: 74.98 years female: 81.87 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea:
12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 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.) |
total: 267 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,834,626 GRT/11,354,689 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 54, chemical tanker 45, combination ore/oil 1, container 15, liquefied gas 46, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 53, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 253 (Australia 1, Bahamas 8, Denmark 39, France 2, Germany 55, Greece 20, Hong Kong 3, Italy 7, Japan 4, Netherlands 2, New Zealand 1, Norway 18, Singapore 2, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, United Kingdom 86, United States 2) registered in other countries: 9 (2005) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard | - |
National holiday | Flag Day, 18 March | Tynwald Day, 5 July |
Nationality | noun:
Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx |
Natural hazards | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt | NA |
Natural resources | NEGL; white sandy beaches | none |
Net migration rate | NEGL | 5.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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] | Man Labor Party [leader NA]; Alliance for Progressive Government [leader NA]; Man Nationalist Party [leader NA]
note: most members sit as independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 70,007 (July 2001 est.) | 75,049 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 0.64% (2001 est.) | 0.52% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas | Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 50,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 61 km (35 km electrified) (2003) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends |
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.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 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 |
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 33,000 (1997) | 51,000 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3,402 (1997) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) |
Terrain | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation | hills in north and south bisected by central valley |
Total fertility rate | 1.8 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.6% (1999 est.) | 0.6% (2004 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |