Compare Spratly Islands (2007) - Aruba (2007)

Compare Spratly Islands (2007) z Aruba (2007)

	Spratly Islands (2007)	Aruba (2007)

Administrative divisions	-	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Age structure	-	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	-	aloes; livestock; fish
Airports	3 (2007)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	-
Area	total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea	total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	NA	slightly larger than Washington, DC
Background	The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.	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	-	12.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $507.9 million expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)
Capital	-	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	tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	926 km	68.5 km
Constitution	-	1 January 1986
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Death rate	-	7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	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 (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	all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$11.3 million (2004)
Economy - overview	Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.	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	-	716.1 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	-	770 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 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%, other 20%
Exchange rates	-	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: 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
Exports - commodities	-	live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Exports - partners	-	Netherlands 27.7%, Panama 25.5%, Colombia 12.8%, Venezuela 11.1%, US 9.4%, Netherlands Antilles 7.1% (2006)
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
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 0.4% industry: 33.3% services: 66.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	2.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	8 38 N, 111 55 E	12 30 N, 69 58 W
Geography - note	strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs	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)
Heliports	3 (2007)	-
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; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine
Imports	-	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners	-	US 53.6%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.6% (2006)
Independence	-	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Infant mortality rate	-	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)	-	3.4% (2005)
International organization participation	-	Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO
Irrigated land	0 sq km	0.01 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: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)
Languages	-	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	-	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 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: 74.83 years male: 71.8 years female: 77.91 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: 97.3% male: 97.5% female: 97.1% (2000 census)
Location	Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	NA	territorial sea: 12 nm
Military - note	Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam	defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches	-	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	-	Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
Nationality	-	noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Natural hazards	typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Natural resources	fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential	NEGL; white sandy beaches
Net migration rate	-	10 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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	no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states	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%
Population growth rate	-	1.522% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, other (includes Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 10%
Sex ratio	-	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
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; 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	-	38,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	108,200 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (1997)
Terrain	flat	flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Total fertility rate	-	1.85 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	6.9% (2005 est.)

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