From Wikitravel

This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the Kuwait article.

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 completely liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.

[edit] 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 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: 0.34%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 99.6% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

60 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they 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: 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

[edit] People

Population 

2,111,561
note: includes 1,159,913 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 28.3% (male 304,200; female 292,900)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 934,115; female 527,331)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 34,106; female 18,909) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

3.33%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

21.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

2.46 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

13.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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: 1.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

10.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 76.46 years
male: 75.56 years
female: 77.39 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate 

3.14 children born/woman (2002 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 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: 78.6%
male: 82.2%
female: 74.9% (1995 est.)

[edit] Government

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)
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, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al Jaber AL SABAH
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517
telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (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, ext. 2240
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

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of 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 envisioned 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 - $30.9 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $15,100 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

industry: 60%
services: 40%
agriculture: 0% (2000)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

2.7% (2001)

Labor force 

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

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate 

1.8% (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 

31.2 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

29.016 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

practically no crops; fish

Exports 

$16.2 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities 

oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners 

Japan 23%, US 14%, South Korea 13%, Singapore 7%, Netherlands 6%, Pakistan 6%, Indonesia 4%, UK 2% (2000)

Imports 

$7.4 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities 

food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Imports - partners 

US 12%, Japan 8%, UK 8%, Germany 7%, China 5%, France 4%, Australia 3%, Netherlands 2% (2000)

Debt - external 

$6.9 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient 

NA

Currency 

Kuwaiti dinar (KD)

Currency code 

KWD

Exchange rates 

Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3075 (January 2002), 0.3066, (2001), 0.3067 (2000), 0.3044 (1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997)

Fiscal year 

1 April - 31 March

[edit] 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 

200,000 (2002)

[edit] 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: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,274,515 GRT/3,627,835 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 19
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1, Saudi Arabia 1 (2002 est.)

Airports 

7 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Heliports 

3 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

Army, Navy, Air Force (including Air Defense Force), National Police Force, National Guard, Coast Guard

Military manpower - military age 

18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 812,059 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 486,906 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 18,309 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$1,967.3 million (FY01)
note: Kuwait is changing its fiscal year; the above figure is for July-March 2001; future budget years will be April-March annually

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

5.5% (FY01)

[edit] 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, although the Iraqi Government continues periodic rhetorical challenges