Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba

Capital City: Oranjestad

Population: 71,891 (July 2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita: $21,800 (2004 est.)

Currency: Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)

Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

Total Area: total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km slightly larger than Washington, DC

Region: North America

Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Agriculture: aloes; livestock; fish

Resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches

Labor Force: 41,500 (2004 est.)
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining

Exports: $80 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2004 est.)
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment

Imports: $875 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs

Overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.

_{CIA World Book}

In 2007 Missouri exported $637,336 in goods to Aruba. This ranks Aruba 117^th among the 223 international buyers of Missouri goods. Missouri exports to Aruba increased from the previous year by $135,621 a change of 27.03%. State exports to Aruba have decreased over the last 5 years by $114,916 a change of -15.28%. Missouri exports account for .00%. of all 2007 US exports to Aruba.