ARUBA
Location:
Aruba is located in the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 kilometres north of Venezuela and
125 kilometres east of Colombia. Its total area is 193 square kilometres.
Population:
65,545 (July, 1994 estimate)
Languages:
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English
(widely spoken), Spanish
Government:
Aruba is part of the Dutch realm. In 1986, upon separation from the Netherlands
Antilles, Aruba obtained full autonomy over its internal affairs.
Legal System:
Aruba's legal system is based on the Dutch civil law system, with some English common
law influence.
Telecommunications:
Aruba's telecommunication system is more than adequate. It has extensive
inter-island microwave radio relay links, as well as one submarine cable to Sint
Maarten.
Economy:
Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and
storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989,
and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20%
in 1986 to about 3% in 1991 and to less than 1% in 1992. The reopening of the local oil
refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, promises
to give the economy an additional boost.
Industries:
Aruba's main industries are tourism, financial services, transshipment facilities and oil
refining.
Currency:
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Exchange Rates:
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Related sites:
Aruba
Aruba: One Happy Island
Aruba Online
Where To Stay In Aruba
To the Offshore World home page.
To the Offshore Financial Centres page.