| Kuwait |
Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Kuwait | Introduction | Top of Page

Background: | Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that completely liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait has spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.

Kuwait | Geography | Top of Page

Location: | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: | 29 30 N, 45 45 E

Map references: | Middle East

Area: | total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries: | total: 464 km border countries: Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

Coastline: | 499 km

Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Terrain: | flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m

Natural resources: | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 0% other: 92% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: | 20 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: | sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August

Environment - current issues: | limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification

Environment - international agreements: | party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping

Geography - note: | strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

Kuwait | People | Top of Page

Population: | 2,041,961 note: includes 1,159,913 non-nationals (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 28.76% (male 299,080; female 288,125) 15-64 years: 68.82% (male 897,839; female 507,527) 65 years and over: 2.42% (male 31,843; female 17,547) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: | 3.38% (2001 est.) note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates

Birth rate: | 21.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: | 2.45 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: | 14.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.51 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: | 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.27 years male: 75.42 years female: 77.15 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: | 3.2 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.12% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA

Nationality: | noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti

Ethnic groups: | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%

Religions: | Muslim 85% (Sunni 45%, Shi'a 40%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%

Languages: | Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.6% male: 82.2% female: 74.9% (1995 est.)

Kuwait | Government | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt

Government type: | nominal constitutional monarchy

Capital: | Kuwait

Administrative divisions: | 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli

Independence: | 19 June 1961 (from UK)

National holiday: | National Day, 25 February (1950)

Constitution: | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Legal system: | civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: | adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21 note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time

Executive branch: | chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31 December 1977) head of government: Prime Minister and Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdallah al-Salim Al Sabah (since 8 February 1978); First Deputy Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 17 October 1992); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamud Al Sabah (since NA) and MUHAMMAD KHALID al-Hamed Al Sabah (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 July 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 50; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly

Judicial branch: | High Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: | none; formation of political parties is illegal

Political pressure groups and leaders: | several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists

International organization participation: | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517

Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador James A. LAROCCO embassy: Bayan, near the Bayan palace, Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait Unit 69000, APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 539-5307 FAX: [965] 538-0282

Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side

Kuwait | Economy | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Kuwait is a small, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90% of export revenues, and 75% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Higher oil prices put the FY99/00 budget into a $2 billion surplus. The FY00/01 budget covers only nine months because of a change in the fiscal year. The budget for FY01/02, which begins 1 April, contains higher expenditures for salaries, construction, and other general categories. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $29.3 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: | 6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 0% industry: 55% services: 45% (1996)

Population below poverty line: | NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3% (2000)

Labor force: | 1.3 million (1998 est.) note: 68% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate: | 1.8% (official 1996 est.)

Budget: | revenues: $11.5 billion expenditures: $17.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02)

Industries: | petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: | 1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: | 31.567 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: | 29.357 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: | practically no crops; fish

Exports: | $23.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: | oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners: | Japan 23%, US 12%, Singapore 8%, Netherlands 7% (1999)

Imports: | $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Imports - partners: | US 15%, Japan 10%, UK 7%, Germany 7% (1999)

Debt - external: | $6.9 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: | $27.6 million (1995)

Currency: | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)

Currency code: | KWD

Exchange rates: | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3057 (January 2001), 0.3067 (2000), 0.3044 (1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997), 0.2994 (1996)

Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March

Kuwait | Communications | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 412,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: | 210,000 (1997)

Telephone system: | general assessment: the quality of service is excellent domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, open wire, and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations: | AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: | 1.175 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: | 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)

Televisions: | 875,000 (1997)

Internet country code: | .kw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2000)

Internet users: | 100,000 (2000)

Kuwait | Transportation | Top of Page

Railways: | 0 km

Highways: | total: 4,450 km paved: 3,590 km unpaved: 860 km (1999 est.)

Waterways: | none

Pipelines: | crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 165 km

Ports and harbors: | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud

Merchant marine: | total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,461,072 GRT/3,966,645 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 6, container 6, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20 (2000 est.)

Airports: | 8 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Heliports: | 3 (2000 est.)

Kuwait | Military | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard, Coast Guard

Military manpower - military age: | 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 780,559 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 466,521 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 18,309 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $1.9 billion (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 8.7% (FY00/01)

Kuwait | Transnational Issues | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands