Compare Aruba (2002) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2003)

Compare Aruba (2002) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2003)

	Aruba (2002)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2003)

Administrative divisions	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	-
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.)	-
Agriculture - products	aloes; livestock; fish	-
Airports	1 (2001)	none (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)	-
Area	total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine islands
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Washington, DC	slightly larger than Rhode Island
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.	The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908, except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal populations, and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 NM to 200 NM around each island.
Birth rate	12.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $135.81 million expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)	-
Capital	Oranjestad	-
Climate	tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Coastline	68.5 km	NA km
Constitution	1 January 1986	adopted 3 October 1985
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none
Currency	Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)	-
Death rate	6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-
Debt - external	$285 million (1996)	-
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	overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base
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	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	none	briefly occupied by military force in 1982 - claimed by Argentina in constitution but declares it will no longer seek settlement by force
Economic aid - recipient	$26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996	-
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.	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.
Electricity - consumption	418.5 million kWh (2000)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2000)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2000)	-
Electricity - production	450 million kWh (2000)	-
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: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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 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%	-
Exports	$2.58 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2000)	-
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	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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)
GDP	purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (1999 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	2.5% (2000)	-
Geographic coordinates	12 30 N, 69 58 W	54 30 S, 37 00 W
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)	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 21st century, live on South Georgia
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	transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity	-
Imports	$2.61 billion f.o.b. (2000)	-
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	6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4% (2000)	-
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 (1998 est.)	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch)	-
Labor force	41,501	-
Labor force - by occupation	most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%) permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (1998 est.)
Languages	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish	-
Legal system	based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court
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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.67 years male: 75.32 years female: 82.19 years (2002 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA%	-
Location	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Antarctic Region
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 NM	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	note: there is one foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard	-
National holiday	Flag Day, 18 March	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Nationality	noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch	-
Natural hazards	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Natural resources	NEGL; white sandy beaches	fish
Net migration rate	NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	70,441 (July 2002 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.59% (2002 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas	Grytviken
Radio broadcast stations	AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)	0 (2003)
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: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 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	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Telephones - main lines in use	33,000 (1997)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	3,402 (1997)	-
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	0 (2003)
Terrain	flat with a few hills; scant vegetation	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Total fertility rate	1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	0.6%	-
Waterways	none	none

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