Kuwait

§1. Kuwait Introduction

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.

§2. Kuwait Geography

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 kmē
  land: 17,820 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

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 kmē (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

§3. Kuwait People

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.)

§4. Kuwait Government

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

§5. Kuwait Economy

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

§6. Kuwait Communications

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)

§7. Kuwait Transportation

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.)

§8. Kuwait Military

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)

§9. Kuwait Transnational Issues

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
