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Compare Aruba (2004) - Jamaica (2008)
Compare Aruba (2004) z Jamaica (2008)
| Aruba (2004) | Jamaica (2008) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.3% (male 7,429; female 7,051)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,587; female 25,007) 65 years and over: 11.4% (male 3,347; female 4,797) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 32.5% (male 459,968/female 444,963)
15-64 years: 60.1% (male 822,486/female 848,310) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 91,856/female 112,549) (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | aloes; livestock; fish | sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks |
| Airports | 1 (2003 est.) | 34 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 21 (2007) |
| Area | total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| 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 island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy. |
| Birth rate | 11.53 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $135.8 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000) |
revenues: $3.441 billion
expenditures: $3.905 billion (2007 est.) |
| Capital | Oranjestad | name: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior |
| Coastline | 68.5 km | 1,022 km |
| Constitution | 1 January 1986 | 6 August 1962 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica |
| Currency | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) | - |
| Death rate | 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Debt - external | $285 million (1996) | $7.138 billion (31 December 2007 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 | the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles, Robert E. SORENSON, is accredited to Aruba | chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON
embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5 telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000 FAX: [1] (876) 702-6348 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York |
| 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 | $35.74 million (2005) |
| 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. Tourist arrivals have declined in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade balance. | The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth. |
| Electricity - consumption | 494.7 million kWh (2001) | 6.131 billion kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production | 531.9 million kWh (2001) | 6.985 billion kWh (2005) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% | black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census) |
| Exchange rates | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999) | Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister |
| Exports | NA (2001) | 1,531 bbl/day (2004) |
| Exports - commodities | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment | alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels |
| Exports - partners | Netherlands 33.7%, Colombia 12%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Panama 12%, Venezuela 10.8%, US 9.6% (2003) | US 30.2%, Canada 15.6%, China 15.2%, UK 10.3%, Netherlands 7%, Norway 4.6% (2006) |
| 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 | diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 34% services: 61% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | -1.5% (2002 est.) | 1.5% (2007 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 12 30 N, 69 58 W | 18 15 N, 77 30 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) | strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal |
| 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%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 35.8% (2004) |
| Illicit drugs | transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity | transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions |
| Imports | NA (2001) | 71,420 bbl/day (2004) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs | food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials |
| Imports - partners | US 55.3%, Netherlands 13%, Netherlands Antilles 3.1% (2003) | US 39.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.6%, Venezuela 9.5% (2006) |
| Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 6 August 1962 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA (2002 est.) | 2% (2007 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining | tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 6.02 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.2% (2002 est.) | 7.1% (2007 est.) |
| International organization participation | ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WToO (associate) | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Irrigated land | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) | 250 sq km (2002) |
| Judicial branch | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal |
| Labor force | 41,500 (1997 est.) | 1.255 million (2007 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining | agriculture: 17%
industry: 19% services: 64% (2006) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2001) |
arable land: 15.83%
permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005) |
| Languages | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish | English, English patois |
| Legal system | based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence | based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.98 years
male: 75.64 years female: 82.49 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 73.12 years
male: 71.43 years female: 74.9 years (2007 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
total population: 97% male: NA female: NA |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin |
| Merchant marine | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,772 GRT/7,068 DWT
by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: Germany 1, Russia 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) |
total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 161,700 GRT/241,663 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 2, carrier 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 8, Latvia 2) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007) |
| 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 | Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 0.6% (2006 est.) |
| National holiday | Flag Day, 18 March | Independence Day, 6 August (1962) |
| Nationality | noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican |
| Natural hazards | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt | hurricanes (especially July to November) |
| Natural resources | NEGL; white sandy beaches | bauxite, gypsum, limestone |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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] | Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) |
| Population | 71,218 (July 2004 est.) | 2,780,132 (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | 14.8% (2003 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.51% (2004 est.) | 0.777% (2007 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish | Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.816 male(s)/female total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage; mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons; the number of fixed-lines in use has been declining international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 37,100 (2002) | 319,000 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 53,000 (2001) | 2.804 million (2005) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 7 (1997) |
| Terrain | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation | mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
| Total fertility rate | 1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 0.6% (2003 est.) | 10.2% (2007 est.) |
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