Capital
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name: Oranjestad
geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Country Name
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba
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Dependency Status
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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
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Type of Government
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parliamentary democracy
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Background
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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.
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Branches
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no regular military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2010)
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Age Structure
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0-14 years: 18.8% (male 9,897/female 9,756)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 35,234/female 38,278)
65 years and over: 10.9% (male 4,520/female 6,904) (2010 est.)
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Languages
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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)
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Population
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104,589
note: estimate based on a revision of the base population, fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-99 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2010 est.)
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Religions
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Roman Catholic 80.8%, Evangelist 4.1%, Protestant 2.5%, Jehovah"s Witnesses 1.5%, Methodist 1.2%, Jewish 0.2%, other 5.1%, none or unspecified 4.6%
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Internet Users
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24,000 (2008)
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Area - Comparative
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slightly larger than Washington, DC
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Area
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total: 180 sq km
land: 180 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Terrain
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flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
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Climate
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tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
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Natural Hazards
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hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
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