Compare Reunion (2006) - Aruba (2007)

Compare Reunion (2006) z Aruba (2007)

	Reunion (2006)	Aruba (2007)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Age structure	0-14 years: 29.8% (male 120,147/female 114,589) 15-64 years: 64% (male 248,895/female 255,156) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 19,847/female 28,950) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 19.7% (male 9,943/female 9,761) 15-64 years: 70.2% (male 33,553/female 36,661) 65 years and over: 10.1% (male 4,046/female 6,054) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn	aloes; livestock; fish
Airports	2 (2006)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 2,517 sq km land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km	total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Rhode Island	slightly larger than Washington, DC
Background	The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.	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	18.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	12.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $554.7 million expenditures: $554.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)	revenues: $507.9 million expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)
Capital	name: Saint-Denis geographic coordinates: 20 52 S, 55 28 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Oranjestad geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)	tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	207 km	68.5 km
Constitution	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)	1 January 1986
Country name	conventional long form: Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Death rate	5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$478.6 million (2005 est.)
Dependency status	overseas department of France	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
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas department of France)	the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas department of France)	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
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.)	$11.3 million (2004)
Economy - overview	The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrated the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.	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 country's oil refinery reopened in 1993, providing a major source of employment, foreign exchange earnings, and 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 government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.
Electricity - consumption	1.107 billion kWh (2003)	716.1 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	1.19 billion kWh (2003)	770 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Environment - current issues	NA	NA
Ethnic groups	French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian	mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
Exchange rates	euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)	Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre-Henry MACCIONI (since 28 August 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Nassimah DINDAR (since NA March 2004) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils	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 in 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%	live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Exports - partners	France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2004)	Netherlands 27.7%, Panama 25.5%, Colombia 12.8%, Venezuela 11.1%, US 9.4%, Netherlands Antilles 7.1% (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	unofficial, local flag designed to emphasize solidarity among the people of Reunion; the field is divided vertically with three narrow stripes of blue, white, and red along the hoist edge representing the French national flag; the remainder of the field is divided diagonally into four triangles colored (clockwise from the hoist side) blue, golden yellow, red, and green; in the center, the apexes of the triangles are surmounted by a white disk; the only official flag is the national flag of France	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 - composition by sector	agriculture: 8% industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 0.4% industry: 33.3% services: 66.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2.5% (2005 est.)	2.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	21 06 S, 55 36 E	12 30 N, 69 58 W
Geography - note	this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean	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)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine
Imports	NA bbl/day	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products	machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners	France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2004)	US 53.6%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.6% (2006)
Independence	none (overseas department of France)	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction	tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Infant mortality rate	total: 7.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA%	3.4% (2005)
International organization participation	InOC, UPU, WFTU	Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO
Irrigated land	120 sq km (2003)	0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel	Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch)
Labor force	299,000 (2002)	41,500 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 13% industry: 12% services: 75% (2000)	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: 13.94% permanent crops: 1.59% other: 84.47% (2005)	arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)
Languages	French (official), Creole widely used	Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
Legal system	French law	based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch	unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held in 2001 (next to be held in 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRC 1, UDF 1, UMP 1; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 3, PS 1, independent 1	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 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: 74.18 years male: 70.78 years female: 77.75 years (2006 est.)	total population: 74.83 years male: 71.8 years female: 77.91 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.)	definition: NA total population: 97.3% male: 97.5% female: 97.1% (2000 census)
Location	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Map references	World	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine	registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1) (2006)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches	no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) (2005)	no regular indigenous military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2005)
National holiday	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)	Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
Nationality	noun: Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese	noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Natural hazards	periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Natural resources	fish, arable land, hydropower	NEGL; white sandy beaches
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	10 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Elie HOARAU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Michel VERGOZ]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP	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	NA
Population	787,584 (July 2006 est.)	100,018 note: estimate based on a revision of the base population, fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-1999 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	1.34% (2006 est.)	1.522% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)	AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)	Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, other (includes Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 10%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.915 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.668 male(s)/female total population: 0.906 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia	general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed international: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use	300,000 (2001)	38,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	579,200 (2004)	108,200 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)	1 (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast	flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Total fertility rate	2.45 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.85 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	31% (2002)	6.9% (2005 est.)

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