| Country name | conventional long form: Country of Aruba conventional short form: Aruba local long form: Land Aruba (Dutch); Pais Aruba (Papiamento) local short form: Aruba etymology: the origin of the island's name is unclear; according to tradition, the name comes from the Spanish phrase "oro huba" (there was gold), but in fact no gold was ever found on the island; another possibility is the native word "oruba," which means "well-situated" |
| Dependency status | constituent 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 |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Capital | name: Oranjestad geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: translates as "orange town" in Dutch; the city is named after William I (1533-1584), Prince of Orange, the first ruler of the Netherlands |
| Administrative divisions | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: Aruba is one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three are the Netherlands, Curacao, and Sint Maarten |
| Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| National holiday | National Anthem and Flag Day, 18 March (1976) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1947, 1955; latest drafted and approved August 1985, enacted 1 January 1986 (regulates governance of Aruba but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands); in 1986, Aruba became a semi-autonomous entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Legal system | civil law system based on the Dutch civil code |
| Citizenship | see the Netherlands |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Alfonso BOEKHOUDT (since 1 January 2017) head of government: Prime Minister Evelyn WEVER-CROES (since 17 November 2017) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Legislature (Staten) elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a 6-year term; prime minister and deputy prime minister indirectly elected by the Staten for 4-year term; election last held on 22 September 2017 (next to be held by September 2021) note: on 30 March 2021, Evelyn WEVER-CROES resigned as prime minister and dissolved parliament, an announcement for new elections is expected soon election results: Evelyn WEVER-CROES (MEP) elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 25 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2025) election results: percent of vote by party MEP 35.3%, AVP 31.3%, ROOTS 9.4%, MAS 8%, Accion21 5.8%; seats by party - MEP 9, AVP 7, ROOTS 2, MAS 2, Accion21 1 |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (sits as a 3-judge panel); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court in The Hague, Netherlands judge selection and term of office: Joint Court judges appointed for life by the monarch subordinate courts: Court in First Instance |
| Political parties and leaders | Accion21 [Miguel MANSUR] Aruban People's Party or AVP [Michiel "Mike" EMAN] Democratic Electoral Network or RED [L.R. CROES] Movimiento Aruba Soberano or MAS [Marisol LOPEZ-TROMP] People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Evelyn WEVER-CROES] Pueblo Orguyoso y Respeta or POR [O.E. ODUBER] RAIZ (ROOTS) [Ursell ARENDS] Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER] |
| International organization participation | Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Guillfred BESARIL (since 20 November 2017) is Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba, seated with his cabinet in the Aruba House (Arubahuis) in The Hague none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note - there is a Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba, Rendolf "Andy" LEE, at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Curacao is accredited to Aruba |
| 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; the star represents Aruba and its red soil and white beaches, its four points the four major languages (Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, English) as well as the four points of a compass, to indicate that its inhabitants come from all over the world; the blue symbolizes Caribbean waters and skies; the stripes represent the island's two main "industries": the flow of tourists to the sun-drenched beaches and the flow of minerals from the earth |
| National symbol(s) | Hooiberg (Haystack) Hill; national colors: blue, yellow, red, white |
| National anthem | name: "Aruba Deshi Tera" (Aruba Precious Country) lyrics/music: Juan Chabaya 'Padu' LAMPE/Rufo Inocencio WEVER note: local anthem adopted 1986; as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, "Het Wilhelmus" is official (see Netherlands) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
