Aruba (2002) | Namibia (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 21% (male 7,635; female 7,169)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 23,270; female 24,906) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 3,081; female 4,380) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 393,878/female 387,147)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 596,557/female 591,350) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 34,245/female 40,970) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | aloes; livestock; fish | millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 137 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 116
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 20 (2006) |
Area | total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Washington, DC | slightly more than half the size of Alaska |
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. | South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia won its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. |
Birth rate | 12.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 24.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $135.81 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) |
revenues: $1.945 billion
expenditures: $2.039 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
Capital | Oranjestad | name: Windhoek
geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 06 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April |
Climate | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
Coastline | 68.5 km | 1,572 km |
Constitution | 1 January 1986 | ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
conventional short form: Namibia local long form: Republic of Namibia local short form: Namibia former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa |
Currency | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) | - |
Death rate | 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 18.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $285 million (1996) | $712.9 million (2005 est.) |
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 | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Consul General Deborah A. BOLTON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066 FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Joyce BARR
embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek telephone: [264] (61) 221601 FAX: [264] (61) 229792 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick NANDAGO
chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443 |
Disputes - international | none | border commission has yet to resolve small residual disputes with Botswana along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river |
Economic aid - recipient | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 | ODA, $160 million (2000 est.) |
Economy - overview | Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage 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 low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. The government's goal of balancing the budget within two years will hamper expenditures, as will the decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the 11 September terrorist attacks. | The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the world's worst inequality of income distribution. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-05. |
Electricity - consumption | 418.5 million kWh (2000) | 2.372 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 55 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 1.065 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) |
Electricity - production | 450 million kWh (2000) | 1.464 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% | black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups includes Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% |
Exchange rates | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) | Namibian dollars per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001); deputy prime minister NA 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 28 September 2001 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA 5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2% |
Exports | $2.58 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2000) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment | diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins |
Exports - partners | US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999) | South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2004) |
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 | a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 9.7%
industry: 31.5% services: 58.8% (2005 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2000) | 3.2% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 N, 69 58 W | 22 00 S, 17 00 E |
Geography - note | a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) | first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip |
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% |
lowest 10%: NA% 0.5%
highest 10%: NA% 64.5% |
Illicit drugs | transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity | - |
Imports | $2.61 billion f.o.b. (2000) | 12,770 bbl/day NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs | foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals |
Imports - partners | US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999) | South Africa 85.2%, US (2004) |
Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining | meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper) |
Infant mortality rate | 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 48.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 51.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (2000) | 2.3% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate) | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) | 80 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission) |
Labor force | 41,501 | 820,000 (2005 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining | agriculture: 47%
industry: 20% services: 33% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km |
Land use | arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0.99%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99% (2005) |
Languages | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish | English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages (Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) |
Legal system | based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence | based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%, PPA 9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other 2.1%; seats by party - MEP 12, AVP 6, PPA 2, OLA 1 |
bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; 2 members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to determine members of the National Council, held 29-30 November 2004 (next to be held November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 75.1%, COD 7.2%, DTA 5%, NUDO 4.1%, UDF 3.5%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1 note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.67 years
male: 75.32 years female: 82.19 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 43.39 years
male: 44.46 years female: 42.29 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84% male: 84.4% female: 83.7% (2003 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 NM | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | note: there is one foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.) | total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,265 GRT/3,605 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | - |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard | Namibian Defense Force: Army, Air Wing, Navy (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $149.5 million (2005 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.3% (2005 est.) |
National holiday | Flag Day, 18 March | Independence Day, 21 March (1990) |
Nationality | noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian |
Natural hazards | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt | prolonged periods of drought |
Natural resources | NEGL; white sandy beaches | diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
Net migration rate | NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Alliance or Aliansa [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 [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Concentration for the Liberation of Aruba or CLA [leader NA]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY] | Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima RIRUAKO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 70,441 (July 2002 est.) | 2,044,147
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day |
Population growth rate | 0.59% (2002 est.) | 0.59% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001) |
Radios | 50,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish | Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% |
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: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 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: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 33,000 (1997) | 127,900 (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3,402 (1997) | 495,000 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
Total fertility rate | 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 3.06 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.6% | 35% (1998) |
Waterways | none | - |