nated 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.

Geography Aruba

Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:
12 30 N, 69 58 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
68.5 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m

Natural resources:
NEGL; white sandy beaches

Land use:
arable land: 10.53%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 89.47% (2005)

Irrigated land:
0.01 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

Environment - current issues:
NA

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)

People Aruba

Population:
71,891 (July 2006 est.)

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.)

Median age:
total: 38.5 years
male: 36.4 years
female: 40.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.44% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
11.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.6 death