1995 Edition

Area

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

Climate

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Coastline

499 km

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 natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April, they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and duststorms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping

International disputes

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; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands disputed by Saudi Arabia

Irrigated land

20 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 464 km, Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

Land use

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

Location

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 34% (female 302,908; male 319,659) 15-64 years: 64% (female 467,163; male 697,849) 65 years and over: 2% (female 13,476; male 16,342) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

21.07 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

2.2 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

11.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

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)

Languages

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.64 years male: 73.33 years female: 78.06 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1985) total population: 74% male: 78% female: 69%

Nationality

noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti

Net migration rate

55.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

1,817,397 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

7.46% (1995 est.) note: this rate reflects the continued post-Gulf crisis return of nationals and expatriates

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

2.93 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Kuwait

Constitution

approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Digraph

KU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim Al SABAH chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702

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

FAX

[1] (202) 966-0517

[965] 2442855

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

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

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

Names

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

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

National holiday

National Day, 25 February (1948)

Other political or pressure groups

small, clandestine leftist and Shi'a fundamentalist groups are active; several groups critical of government policies are publicly active

Political parties and leaders

none

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; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for thirty years will be eligible to vote

Type

nominal constitutional monarchy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan C. 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] 2424151 through 2424159

Agriculture

practically none; extensive fishing in territorial waters and Indian Ocean

Budget

revenues: $9 billion expenditures: $13 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)

Currency

1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils

Economic aid

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

Electricity

capacity: 7,070,000 kW production: 11 billion kWh consumption per capita: 6,007 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.2991 (January 1995), 0.2976 (1994), 0.3017 (1993), 0.2934 (1992), 0.2843 (1991), 0.2915 (1990)

Exports

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

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

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Imports

$6.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing partners: US 35%, Japan 12%, UK 9%, Canada 9%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%; accounts for NA% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (1993)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $30.7 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$16,900 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

9.3% (1994 est.)

Overview

Kuwait is a small and relatively open economy with proved 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. Kuwait lacks water and has practically no arable land, thus preventing development of agriculture. With the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Because of its high per capita income, comparable with Western European incomes, Kuwait provides its citizens with extensive health, educational, and retirement benefits. Per capita military expenditures are among the highest in the world. The economy improved moderately in 1994, with the growth in industry and finance, and should see further gains in 1995, especially if oil prices go up. The World Bank has urged Kuwait to push ahead with privatization, including in the oil industry, but the government will move slowly on this front.

Unemployment rate

NEGL% (1992 est.)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

NA telephones; 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 local: NA intercity: NA international: earth stations destroyed during Gulf war and not rebuilt yet; temporary mobile satellite antennae provide international telecommunications; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; service to Iraq is nonoperational

Television

broadcast stations: 3 televisions: NA

Airports

total: 8 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 3 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 2 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Highways

total: 4,270 km paved: bituminous 3,370 km unpaved: gravel, sand, earth 900 km (est.)

Merchant marine

total: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,202,558 GRT/3,618,527 DWT ships by type: cargo 9, container 3, liquefied gas tanker 7, livestock carrier 4, oil tanker 24

Pipelines

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

Ports

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

Railroads

0 km

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $3.4 billion, 13.3% of GDP (1995) ________________________________________________________________________ KYRGYZSTAN

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 610,205; males fit for military service 363,735; males reach military age (18) annually 16,170 (1995 est.)