Living In Aruba

Constitutional Form

Aruba has a constitutional monarchy (as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) with a parliamentary democracy. The Governor of Aruba is appointed by the Monarch and has a symbolic role. The 21 members of the parliament (legislative branch) are elected by direct popular vote for a four year period. The 8 members of the council of ministers (executive branch) are appointed by the Parliament. The judges in the judicial branch are appointed by the Monarch

Area

Aruba is 6 miles across and 19.6 miles long with a total area of 77 Square miles (180 Square kilometers)

Geographical Position

Aruba is part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea, and lies about 12 degrees north of the equator, approximately 29km (18 miles) off the Paraguaná Peninsula of Venezuela

Time Zone

(GMT – 04:00 Georgetown, La Paz, Manaus, San Juan) During the months between the Spring Daylight Savings Time change to the Fall Daylight Savings Time change, we are the same time as EST. During the other months, we are one hour ahead of EST.

Capital

Oranjestad

Population

104,822 (2016)

Life expectancy

75.57 (2015)

Literacy rate

97.5 % ( 2015 est.)

Temperature

Average of 82°F (27°C)

Rainfall

Average of 15.7 inches (400mm) per year

Language

Papiamento (official), Dutch, English, Spanish

Head of State

The Governor of Aruba – Mr. A. Boekhoudt

Prime Minister

Ms. E. Wever-Croes

Governing Political

Coalition government POR, MEP & RED

Economic Activities

Tourism, petroleum bunkering, hospitality, and financial and business services are the mainstays of the small open Aruban economy.
Tourism accounts for majority of economic activity. As of 2014, over 1.7 million tourists visited Aruba annually, with the large majority of those from the US.

Currency

Aruban Florin (AWG) and US$ is widely accepted

Exchange Rate

AWG 1.80 = US$ 1.00 (more information on exchange rate www.cbaruba.org )

Airport

International Airport Queen Beatrix

Major Airlines

American Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada, Air Transet, Skyservice, Spirit Airlines EUROPE

KLM, ArkeFly, Thomson Holidays CARIBBEAN

Aruba Airlines, Insel Air, LATIN AMERICA

Avianca, Venezolana, SAM Aires, Avior, Aserca, Aires, Copa Airlines, SLM, Varig, PAWA Domincana

Major Sea Ports

Cruise Port
Commercial Port

Business Hours

8am-4pm

Store Hours

8am-6pm

Official Holidays

January 1	New Year’s Day
January 25	G.F. Betico Croes Day
Date varies per year	Carnaval Monday
March 18	National Flag and Anthem Day
Date varies per year	Good Friday
Date varies per year	Easter Monday
April 30	Kings day
May 1	Labor Day
Date varies per year	Ascension Day
December 25	Christmas Day
December 26	Boxing Day

Electricity System

110-127 Volt, 60 cycles. (North American voltage standard). The TV standard is NTSC, so your home video camera will also play back. Most houses have 220V for air conditioning