Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - Aruba (2002)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z Aruba (2002)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)	Aruba (2002)

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)	1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago	total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly larger than Washington, DC
Background	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	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.
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; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	698 km	68.5 km
Constitution	-	1 January 1986
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Currency	-	Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
Death rate	-	6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	-	$285 million (1996)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London	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	none (overseas territory of the UK)	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Disputes - international	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996
Economy - overview	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.	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.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	418.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	450 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 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 ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	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	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag	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
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	6 00 S, 71 30 E	12 30 N, 69 58 W
Geography - note	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility	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)
Highways	total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km	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)	1 (2000)	NA
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	0.01 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: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%) permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
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	Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Map references	Political Map of the World	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 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 UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches	-	no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard
National holiday	-	Flag Day, 18 March
Nationality	-	noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Natural hazards	NA	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	NEGL; white sandy beaches
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	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)	70,441 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	0.59% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	Diego Garcia	Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	NA	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: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)	general assessment: NA domestic: more than adequate international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	33,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	3,402 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)	flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Total fertility rate	-	1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	0.6%
Waterways	none	none

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