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Introduction | Kuwait

Background: | Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. 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 liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.

Geography | Kuwait

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 water: 0 sq km land: 17,820 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: | total: 462 km border countries: Iraq 240 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: 0.73% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 99.16% (2001)
Irrigated land: | 60 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping
Geography - note: | strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

People | Kuwait

Population: | 2,257,549 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 316,237; female 304,671) 15-64 years: 69.8% (male 1,007,298; female 569,128) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 38,408; female 21,807) (2004 est.)
Median age: | total: 25.9 years male: 28.2 years female: 22 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: | 3.36% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2004 est.)
Birth rate: | 21.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: | 2.44 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: | 14.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 1.76 male(s)/female total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 10.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.84 years male: 75.86 years female: 77.86 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 3.03 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.12% (2001 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 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
Languages: | Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Government | Kuwait

Country name: | conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local short form: Al Kuwayt local long form: Dawlat 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); Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdullah al-Salim Al Sabah head of government: Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior NAWWAF al-Ahmad Al Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad Al Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003) 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 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; 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, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah Jabir Al Sabah FAX: [1] (202) 364-2868 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 539-5307, 5308 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; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I

Economy | Kuwait

Economy - overview: | Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 98 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% 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. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $41.46 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 4.6% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 0.4% industry: 59.5% services: 40% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed): | 8% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: | NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 1.2% (2003 est.)
Labor force: | 1.38 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force. (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA
Unemployment rate: | 2.1% (2003 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $29.41 billion expenditures: $17.57 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Public debt: | 29.5% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: | practically no crops; fish
Industries: | petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: | -5% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production: | 31.49 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 29.29 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 2.27 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 293,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | 1.97 million bbl/day (2003)
Oil - imports: | NA (2003)
Oil - proved reserves: | 97.68 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: | 8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 1.548 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $8.652 billion (2003)
Exports: | $22.29 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: | oil and refined products, fertilizers
Exports - partners: | Japan 21.3%, South Korea 14.9%, US 11.5%, Singapore 9.8%, Taiwan 9.3% (2003)
Imports: | $9.606 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
Imports - partners: | US 14.7%, Japan 10.3%, Germany 9.6%, China 6.6%, UK 6.1%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Italy 5%, France 4.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: | $7.685 billion (2003)
Debt - external: | $12.18 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | NA (2001)
Currency: | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
Currency code: | KWD
Exchange rates: | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001), 0.3068 (2000), 0.3044 (1999)
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March

Communications | Kuwait

Telephones - main lines in use: | 486,900 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 1.42 million (2003)
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, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: country code - 965; 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 hosts: | 3,437 (2001)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2000)
Internet users: | 567,000 (2003)

Transportation | Kuwait

Highways: | total: 4,450 km paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.)
Pipelines: | gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud
Merchant marine: | total: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,319,082 GRT/3,768,828 DWT registered in other countries: 5 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: India 1, Saudi Arabia 1 by type: bulk 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 21, roll on/roll off 1
Airports: | 7 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Heliports: | 3 (2003 est.)

Military | Kuwait

Military branches: | Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (including Air Defense Force), National Guard
Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 880,461 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 531,556 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 18,849 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $2,500.4 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 5.8% (2003)

Transnational Issues | Kuwait

Disputes - international: | Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005