Kuwait

Geography

Location: Middle East, at the head of the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia

Map references: Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area 17,820 sq km
land area 17,820 sq km
comparative area slightly smaller than New Jersey

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

Coastline: 499 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf not specified
territorial sea 12 nm

International disputes: in April 1991 Iraq officially accepted UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept the inviolability of the boundary set forth in its 1963 agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah islands, or to all of Kuwait; the 20 May 1993 final report of the UN Iraq/Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission was welcomed by the Security Council in Resolution 833 of 27 May 1993, which also reaffirmed that the decisions of the commission on the boundary were final, bringing to a completion the official demarcation of the Iraq-Kuwait boundary; Iraqi officials still refuse to unconditionally recognize Kuwaiti sovereignty of the inviolability of the UN demarcated border; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands disputed by Saudi Arabia

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

Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Land use:
arable land 0%
permanent crops 0%
meadows and pastures 8%
forest and woodland 0%
other 92%

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
natural hazards NA
international agreements party to - Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping

Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

People

Population: 1,819,322 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate: 5.24% (1994 est.)
note this rate reflects the continued post-Gulf crisis return of nationals and expatriates

Birth rate: 29.43 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 2.37 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 25.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population 74.99 years
male 72.83 years
female 77.25 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Nationality:
noun Kuwaiti(s)
adjective Kuwaiti

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

Religions: Muslim 85% (Shi'a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%

Languages: Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population 73%
male 77%
female 67%

Labor force: 566,000 (1986)
by occupation services 45.0%, construction 20.0%, trade 12.0%, manufacturing 8.6%, finance and real estate 2.6%, agriculture 1.9%, power and water 1.7%, mining and quarrying 1.4%
note 70% of labor force non-Kuwaiti (1986)

Government

Names:
conventional long form State of Kuwait
conventional short form Kuwait
local long form Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form Al Kuwayt

Digraph: KU

Type: nominal constitutional monarchy

Capital: Kuwait

Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al 'Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli, Al Farwaniyah

Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)

National holiday: National Day, 25 February (1948)

Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)

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

Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21
note only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote

Executive branch:
chief of state Amir Shaykh 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); Deputy Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 17 October 1992)
cabinet Council of Ministers; appointed by the Prime Minister and approved by the Amir

Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Majlis al-umma) dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections were held on 5 October 1992 with a second election in the 14th and 16th constituencies held February 1993

Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: none

Other political or pressure groups: small, clandestine leftist and Shi'a fundamentalist groups are active; several groups critical of government policies are publicly active

Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission Ambassador MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah
chancery 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone (202) 966-0702
FAX (202) 966-0517

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission Ambassador-designate Ryan CROCKER
embassy Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Kuwait International Hotel), Kuwait City
mailing address P.O. Box 77 SAFAT, 13001 SAFAT, Kuwait; Unit 69000, Kuwait; APO AE 09880-9000
telephone [965] 242-4151 through 4159
FAX [956] 244-2855

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

Economy

Overview: Kuwait is a small and relatively open economy with proven crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Kuwait has rebuilt its war-ravaged petroleum sector; its crude oil production reached at least 2.0 million barrels per day by the end of 1993. The government ran a sizable fiscal deficit in 1993. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP and 90% of export and government revenues.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $25.7 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 15% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $15,100 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1993)

Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues $9 billion
expenditures $13 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93)

Exports: $10.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities oil
partners France 16%, Italy 15%, Japan 12%, UK 11%

Imports: $6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
partners US 35%, Japan 12%, UK 9%, Canada 9%

External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
note external debt has grown substantially in 1991 and 1992 to pay for restoration of war damage

Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for NA% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity 6,873,000 kW available out of 7,398,000 kW due to Persian Gulf war
production 12.264 billion kWh
consumption per capita 8,890 kWh (1992)

Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, building materials, salt, construction

Agriculture: practically none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported

Economic aid:
donor pledged bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89), $18.3 billion

Currency: 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.2982 (January 1994), 0.3017 (1993), 0.2934 (1992), 0.2843 (1991), 0.2915 (1990), 0.2937 (1989)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Communications

Railroads: none

Highways:
total 3,900 km
paved bituminous 3,000 km
unpaved gravel, sand, earth 900 km

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

Ports: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' Su'ud

Merchant marine: 46 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 2,153,693 GRT/3,561,568 DWT, cargo 10, container 2, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 4, oil tanker 23

Airports:
total 7
usable 4
with permanent-surface runways 4
with runways over 3,659 m 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m 4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m 0

Telecommunications: civil network suffered extensive damage as a result of the Gulf war and reconstruction is still under way with some restored international and domestic capabilities; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 0 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations - destroyed during Gulf war and not rebuilt yet; temporary mobile satellite ground stations provide international telecommunications; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; service to Iraq is nonoperational

Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 537,696; fit for military service 321,767; reach military age (18) annually 15,354 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, 7.3% of GDP (FY92/93)