1987 Edition

Climate

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Environment

development of TigrisEuphrates river systems contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air and water pollution; soil degradation and erosion; desertification

some of world’s largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification

Land use

NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 8% meadows and pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 92% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Special notes

none

strategic location at head of Persian Gulf and close to Iran-Iraq war zone

Terrain

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Ethnic divisions

75% Arab, 15-20% Kurdish, 5-10% Turkoman, Assyrian, and other

39% Kuwaiti, 39% other Arab, 9% South Asian, 4% Iranian, 9% other

Infant mortality rate

76/1,000 (1980)

26.1/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

3.5 million (1980); 44% agriculture, 26% industry, 31% services; severe labor shortage due to war; expatriate labor force about 1,000,000

566,000 (1985); 45.0% services, 20.0% construction, 12.0% trade, 8.6% manufacturing, 2.6% finance and real estate, 1.9% agriculture, 1.7% power and water, 1.4% mining and quarrying; 70% of labor force is non-Kuwaiti

Language

Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions); Assyrian, Armenian

Arabic (official); English widely spoken

Life expectancy

56.1

men 69, women 74

Literacy

about 50%

about 71%

Nationality

noun—lIraaqi(s); adjective— Iraqi

noun—Kuwaiti(s); adjective— Kuwaiti

Organized labor

11% of labor force

labor unions, first authorized in 1964, formed in oil industry and among government personnel

Population

16,970,948 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3.56%; figures do not take into account the impact of the Iran-lraq war

1,863,615 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 4.18%

Religion

97% Muslim (60-65% Shi'a, 82-37% Sunni), 3% Christian or other

85% Muslim (80% Shi'a, 45% Sunni), 15% Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other

Administrative divisions

18 provinces under centrally appointed officials

4 governorates (Kuwait City, Hawalli, Ahmadi, Johra), 25 voting constituencies

Branches

Ba‘th Party of Iraq has been in power since 1968 coup; unicameral legislature (National Assembly)

Council of Ministers; legislature—National Assembly

Capital

Baghdad

Kuwait

Communists

about 2,000 hardcore members

insignificant

Elections

National Assembly elections held October 1984; Legislative Council for the Autonomous Region held September

National Assembly elected February 1985 (suspended July 1986) Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited, some small clandestine groups are active

Government leader

Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al SABAH, Amir (since December 1977)

Government leaders

Saddam HUSAYN, President (since July 1979); Izzat IBRAHIM, Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (since July 1979); Taha Yasin RAMADAN, First Deputy Prime Minister (since July 1979)

Legal system

based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; provisional constitution adopted in 1968; judicial review was suspended; tion

civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; constitution took effect in 1963; popularly elected 50-man National Assembly (the 15 cabinet members can also vote) reinstated in March 1981] after being suspended in 1976, but in July 1986 parliament dissolved by the Amir; judicial review of legislative acts not yet determined; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

Arab League, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, [PU, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

National Day, 25 February

National holidays

anniversaries of the 1958 and 1968 revolutions are celebrated 14 July and 17 July; various religious holidays has not accepted compulsory 1CJ jurisdic-

Official name

Republic of Iraq

State of Kuwait

Other political or pressure groups

large (850,000) Palestinian community

Political or pressure groups

political parties and activity severely restricted; possibly some opposition to regime from disaffected members of the regime, army officers, and religious and ethnic dissidents

Suffrage

universal adult

adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendents (eligible voters, 8.3% of citizenry)

Type

republic

nominal constitutional monarchy

Agriculture

dates, wheat, barley, rice, cotton, livestock

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

Budget

public revenues, $20.0 billion; current expenditures, $18.6 billion; development expenditures, $11.0 billion (1984 est.)

revenues, $11.2 billion; current and capital expenditures, $11.1 billion (1985/86 est.)

Electric power

7,734,000 kW capacity; 22,560 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh per capita (1986)

5,335,000 kW capacity; 16,360 million kWh produced, 9,240 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$7.45 billion (f.0.b., 1986 est.); from nonoil receipts, $450 million

$8.0 billion (f.0.b., 1986), of which crude petroleum accounted for about 78%

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

Fiseal year

calendar year

GDP

$19.7 billion, $11,510 per capita GNP (1985); ~4% annual growth rate (1986)

GNP

$35 billion (1986 est.), $2,140 per capita

Imports

$9.5 billion (f.0.b., 1986 est.); 5% from Communist countries (1985)

$7.0 billion (f.0.b., 1986)

Major industries

crude petroleum production average for 1986, 1.4 million b/d; petroleum refining (capacity about 0.6 million b/d); other major industries include petrochemicals, retail trade, and manufacturing; water desalination capacity 618 million liters per day (1983 est.)

Major industry

crude petroleum 1.8 million b/d; petroleum revenues, $7.0 billion (1986 est.)

Major trade partners

exports—France, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Turkey, UK, Spain, USSR, other Communist countries; imports—FRG, Japan, France, Italy, US, UK, Turkey, USSR, other Communist countries (1986)

Major trading partners

exports—Japan, US, FRG, Italy; imports—Japan, FRG, UK, US

Monetary conversion rate

.31 Iraqi dinar=US$1 (January 1987)

.29 Kuwaiti dinar=US$1 (October 1986)

Natural resources

oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

petroleum, fish, shrimp

Airfields

107 total, 95 usable; 61 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m, 50 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 12 with runways 1,220-2,489 m

9 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m

Civil air

15 major transport aircraft

26 major transport aircraft

Highways

20,800 km total; 6,490 km paved, 4,654 km improved earth, 9,656 km unimproved earth

2,600 km total; 2,300 km bituminous; 300 km earth, sand, light gravel

Inland waterways

1,015 km; Shatt al Arab navigable by maritime traffic for about 104 km (closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war); Tigris and Euphrates navigable by shallow-draft steamers (of little importance); Shatt al Basrah canal navigable by shallow-draft vessels

Pipelines

crude oil, 3,950 km; 725 km refined products; 1,360 km natural gas

crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 140 km

Ports

3 major but closed because of war (Al Basrah, Umm Qasr, Al Faw)

3 major (Ash Shuwaykh, Ash Shu‘aybah, Mina’ al Ahmadi), 6 minor

Railroads

2,200 km total; 1,680 km 1.435meter standard gauge, 520 km 1.000-meter gauge

none

Telecommunications

good network consists of coaxial cables, radio-relay links, and radiocommunication stations; about 632,000 telephones (4.0 per 100 popl.); 9 AM, no FM, 81 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean, and 1 Intersputnik satellite station; coaxial cable and radiorelay to Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey

excellent international, adequate domestic facilities; 258,000 telephones (14.6 per 100 popl.); 2 AM, 2 FM, 8 TV stations; I Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT stations, 1] INMARSAT satellite station; 1 ARABSAT station; coaxial cable and radiorelay to Iraq and Saudi Arabia

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Force, mobile police force

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

Military budget

operating expenditures for fiscal year ending 30 June 1986, $876 million; 7.5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 3,795,000; 2,119,000 fit for military service; 177,000 reach military age (18) annually

males 15-49, about 626,000; about 376,000 fit for military service