Compare Aruba (2006) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005)

Compare Aruba (2006) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005)

	Aruba (2006)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 19.5% (male 7,175/female 6,849) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,894/female 25,140) 65 years and over: 12.3% (male 3,616/female 5,217) (2006 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	aloes; livestock; fish	-
Airports	1 (2006)	none (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)	-
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	11.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $507.9 million expenditures: $577.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)	-
Capital	name: Oranjestad geographic coordinates: 12 33 N, 70 06 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	-
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	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none
Death rate	6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-
Debt - external	$478.6 million (2005 est.)	-
Dependency status	member country 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	the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	none	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force
Economic aid - recipient	$-11.3 million (2004)	-
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. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, 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. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The newly re-elected government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.	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	716.1 million kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - production	770 million kWh (2003)	-
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 - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001)	-
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 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA	-
Exports	NA bbl/day	-
Exports - commodities	live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment	-
Exports - partners	Netherlands 33.5%, Panama 16.7%, Colombia 11.9%, US 11.3%, Venezuela 10.1%, Netherlands Antilles 9% (2005)	-
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 - composition by sector	agriculture: 0.4% NA% industry: 33.3% NA% services: 66.3% NA%	-
GDP - real growth rate	2.4% (2005 est.)	-
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 20th century, live on South Georgia
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	NA bbl/day	-
Imports - commodities	machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs	-
Imports - partners	US 55.9%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.8% (2005)	-
Independence	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 5.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.4% (2005)	-
International organization participation	ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO (associate)	-
Irrigated land	0.01 sq km (1998 est.)	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch)	-
Labor force	41,500 (2004 est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% note: 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% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)	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) (2001)
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 23 September 2005 (next to be held by in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.28 years male: 75.95 years female: 82.78 years (2006 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	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
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 Netherlands 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	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	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	71,891 (July 2006 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 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.44% (2006 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	-	Grytviken
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)	0 (2003)
Religions	Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed international: country code - 297; 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	37,100 (2002)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	98,400 (2004)	-
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	1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	6.9% (2005 est.)	-

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