1988 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; on 17 September 1980 Iraq abrogated 1975 treaty with Iraq which shifted the boundary in Shatt al Arab waterway from the low water mark on Iranian side of river to midpoint of deepest navigable channel (thalweg) — heavy fighting with Iran began on 22 September 1980; Kurdistan question with Iran; ownership of Warbah and Bubiy5n islands disputed with Kuwait; shares Neutral Zone with Saudi Arabia; periodic disputes with Syria over Euphrates water rights; potential dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Climate

desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Coastline

58 km

Comparative area

larger than California

Continental shelf

not specific

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

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

26.1/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

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

Land boundaries

3,668 km total

Land use

12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 75% other; includes 4% irrigated

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

Language

Arabic (official); English widely spoken

Life expectancy

men 69, women 74

Literacy

about 71%

Nationality

noun — Kuwaiti(s); adjective — Kuwaiti

Organized labor

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

Population

1,863,615 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 4.13%

Religion

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

Special notes

none

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

Terrain

mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

434,920 km2; land area: 433,970 km2

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

76/1,000 (1980)

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

Language

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

Life expectancy

56.1

Literacy

about 50%

Nationality

noun — Iraqi(s); adjective — Iraqi

Organized labor

11% of labor force

Population

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

Religion

97% Muslim (60-65% Shi'a, 32-37% Sunni), 3% Christian or 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-Alnnail 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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, IDE— 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, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, QIC, 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

Official name

Republic of Iraq

State of Kuwait

Other political or pressure groups

large (350,000) 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

wheat, barley, rice, sugar beets, cotton, dates, raisins, tea, tobacco, sheep, goats; an illegal producer of opium poppy for the international drug trade

dates, wheat, barley, rice, cotton, livestock

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

Budget

proposed expenditures about $40 billion; actual expenditures were less as a result of slump in oil market (FY86)

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

12,601,000 kW capacity; 33,120 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita (1986)

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

$7.8 billion (1986 est); 90% petroleum; also carpets, fruits, nuts, cement

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

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

Fiscal year

21 March-20 March

calendar year

1 July-30 June

GDP

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

GNP

$82.4 billion, $1,690 per capita, real GNP - 13.4% (1986)

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

Imports

$10.0 billion (1986 est.); machinery, military supplies, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products

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

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

Major industries

crude oil production (2.0 million b/d in 1986) and refining, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (steel and copper)

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 — Japan, Turkey, Syria, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, France, FRG; imports — FRG, Japan, Turkey, UK, Italy

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

73.36 rials=US$l (December 1986); unofficial exchange rate on black market up to ten times as many rials per $1

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

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

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, zinc, barite, sulfur, coal, emeralds, turquoise

oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

petroleum, fish, shrimp

Airfields

171 total, 144 usable; 78 with permanent-surface runways; 16 with runways over 3,659 m, 15 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 66 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

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, 220-2,439 m

Branches

Islamic Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Revolutionary Guard (includes Basij militia), Gendarmerie

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

Civil air

43 major transport aircraft

15 major transport aircraft

Highways

85,000 km total; 36,000 km gravel and crushed stone, 15,000 km improved earth, 19,000 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surfaces, 15,000 km unimproved earth

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

Inland waterways

904 km, excluding the Caspian Sea, 104 km on the Shaft al Arab (closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq conflict); 3 inland coastal ports on Caspian Sea

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

Military manpower

males 15-49, 11,490,000; 6,848,000 fit for military service; about 540,000 reach military age (21) annually Set rcfionil m«p VI Persian Gulf

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

Pipelines

crude oil, 5,900 km; refined products, 3,900 km; natural gas, 3,300 km; some pumping stations have been damaged by Iraqi air attacks

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

Ports

6 major (Abadan and Khorramshahr are closed, Bandar-e 'Abbas, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Chah Bahar, Bushehr), 12 minor

3 major but closed because of war (Al Ba$rah, Umm Qa$r, Al Faw)

Railroads

4,601 km total; 4,509 km 1.432meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge

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

Telecommunications

62 AM, 27 FM, 28 TV stations; 2,048,000 TV sets; 5,500,000 receiver sets; 1 satellite ground station Defense Forces

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 Defense Forces