!!!Aruba: Government
||Country name|''conventional long form'': none \\ ''conventional 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 (Legislature); part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
||Capital|Oranjestad[{GoogleMap location='Oranjestad' zoom='6'}] \\ ''geographic coordinates'': 12 31 N, 70 02 W \\ ''time difference'': UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) \\ 
||Administrative divisions|none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) \\ ''__note__'': Aruba is one of four constituent parts (countries) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three parts are the Netherlands, Curacao, and Sint Maarten \\ 
||Independence|none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
||National holiday|Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
||Constitution|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); note - in October 2010, following dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2016)
||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 Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004) \\ ''head of government'': Prime Minister Michiel "Mike" Godfried EMAN (since 30 October 2009) \\ ''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 tern; election last held on 25 September 2009 (next to be held by September 2013) \\ ''election results'': Michiel "Mike" Godfried EMAN (AVP) 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 27 September 2013 (next to be held in 2017) \\ ''election results'': percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AVP 13, MEP 8 \\ 
||Judicial branch|''highest court(s)'': Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatitus 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 by the monarch for life \\ ''subordinate courts'': Courts in First Instance \\ 
||Political parties and leaders|Aruban People's Party or AVP (Michiel "Mike" EMAN) \\ People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP (Evelyn WEVER-CROES) \\ Real Democracy or PDR (Andin BIKKER)
||Political pressure groups and leaders|''other'': environmental groups \\ 
||International organization participation|Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU
||Diplomatic representation in the US|none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - there is a Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
||Diplomatic representation from the US|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) \\