1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Coastline
499 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Disputes
Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait from 2 August 1990 until 27 February 1991; in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept its internationally recognized border with Kuwait, ended earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands disputed by Saudi Arabia
Environment
some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification
Land boundaries
462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Land use
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: not specific; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Note
strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
Terrain
flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Total area
17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
29 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
2 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 20.1%
Infant mortality rate
15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
566,000 (1986); 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%; 70% of labor force was non-Kuwaiti
Language
Arabic (official); English widely spoken
Life expectancy at birth
72 years male, 76 years female (1991)
Literacy
74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
Nationality
noun--Kuwaiti(s); adjective--Kuwaiti
Net migration rate
10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
labor unions exist in oil industry and among government personnel
Population
2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
Total fertility rate
3.7 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
4 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah
Capital
Kuwait
Communists
insignificant
Constitution
16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Shaykh Saud Nasir al-SABAH; Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-0702; US--Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Hilton Hotel), Kuwait City (mailing address is P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait City); telephone [965] 242-4151 through 4159
Elections
National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for October 1992
Executive branch
amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
Independence
19 June 1961 (from UK)
Judicial branch
High Court of Appeal
Leaders
Chief of State--Amir Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-SABAH (since 31 December 1977); Head of Government--Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sad al-Abdallah al-Salim al-SABAH (since 8 February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister Salim al-Sabah al-Salim al-SABAH
Legal system
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved 3 July 1986
Long-form name
State of Kuwait
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
National holiday
National Day, 25 February
Other political or pressure groups
large (150,000) Palestinian community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active; prodemocracy opposition
Political parties and leaders
none
Suffrage
adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21; note--out of all citizens, only 8.3% are eligible to vote and only 3.5% actually vote
Type
nominal constitutional monarchy
Economy
Agriculture
virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported
Budget
revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
Currency
Kuwaiti dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
Economic aid
donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
Electricity
8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced, 5,000 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1--0.2915 (January 1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007 (1985)
Exports
$11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--oil 90%; partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US
External debt
$7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GDP
$19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5% (1989)
Imports
$6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing; partners--Japan, US, FRG, UK
Industrial production
growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP
Industries
petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, salt, construction
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.3% (1989)
Overview
Up to the invasion by Iraq in August 1990, the oil sector had dominated the economy. Kuwait has the third-largest oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Earnings from hydrocarbons generated over 90% of both export and government revenues and contributed about 40% to GDP. Most of the nonoil sector has traditionally been dependent upon oil-derived government revenues. Iraq's destruction of Kuwait's oil industry during the Gulf war has devastated the economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80% of Kuwait's 950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaging key surface facilities. Western firefighters had brought about 140 of the 600 oil well fires and blowouts under control as of early June 1991. It could take two to three years to restore Kuwait's oil production to its prewar level of about 2.0 million barrels per day.
Unemployment rate
0% (1989)
Communications
Airports
7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
19 major transport aircraft
Highways
3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand, light gravel
Merchant marine
31 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,332,159 GRT/2,099,303 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 1 bulk; note--all Kuwaiti ships greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti waters at the time of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred to the Liberian flag or to the flags of other Persian Gulf states; Kuwaiti tankers are currently managed from London and Kuwaiti cargo and container ships are managed from Dubai
Pipelines
crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 165 km
Ports
Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi
Telecommunications
excellent international, adequate domestic facilities; 258,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Defense expenditures
$1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually