CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Kuwait


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!| Background:
 * Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 0 sq km land: 17,820 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: unnamed location 306 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0.11% other: 99.16% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping !| Geography - note:
 * Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
 * 29 30 N, 45 45 E
 * Middle East
 * total: 17,820 sq km
 * slightly smaller than New Jersey
 * total: 462 km
 * 499 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
 * flat to slightly undulating desert plain
 * lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
 * petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
 * arable land: 0.73%
 * 60 sq km (1998 est.)
 * sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August
 * 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
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
 * strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
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!| Population: note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 69.8% (male 1,007,298; female 569,128) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 38,408; female 21,807) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 28.2 years female: 22 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2004 est.) !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.76 male(s)/female total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: male: 11.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 75.86 years female: 77.86 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Kuwaiti !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
 * 2,257,549
 * 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 316,237; female 304,671)
 * total: 25.9 years
 * 3.36%
 * 21.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 2.44 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 14.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
 * total: 10.26 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 76.84 years
 * 3.03 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.12% (2001 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Kuwaiti(s)
 * Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
 * Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
 * Arabic (official), English widely spoken
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Kuwait local short form: Al Kuwayt local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: 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 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior NAWWAF al-Ahmad Al Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad Al Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX: [1] (202) 364-2868 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 539-5307, 5308 FAX: [965] 538-0282 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: State of Kuwait
 * nominal constitutional monarchy
 * Kuwait
 * 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli
 * 19 June 1961 (from UK)
 * National Day, 25 February (1950)
 * approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
 * civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21
 * chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31 December 1977); Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdullah al-Salim Al Sabah
 * unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
 * High Court of Appeal
 * none; formation of political parties is illegal
 * several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists
 * ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah Jabir Al Sabah
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON
 * three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 59.5% services: 40% (2003) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force. (2003 est.) !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $17.57 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 98 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.
 * purchasing power parity - $41.46 billion (2003 est.)
 * 4.6% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 0.4%
 * 8% of GDP (2003)
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 1.2% (2003 est.)
 * 1.38 million
 * agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA
 * 2.1% (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $29.41 billion
 * 29.5% of GDP (2003)
 * practically no crops; fish
 * petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials
 * -5% (2002 est.)
 * 31.49 billion kWh (2001)
 * 29.29 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 2.27 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
 * 293,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
 * 1.97 million bbl/day (2003)
 * NA (2003)
 * 97.68 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)
 * 8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2002 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2002 est.)
 * 1.548 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $8.652 billion (2003)
 * $22.29 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * oil and refined products, fertilizers
 * Japan 21.3%, South Korea 14.9%, US 11.5%, Singapore 9.8%, Taiwan 9.3% (2003)
 * $9.606 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
 * US 14.7%, Japan 10.3%, Germany 9.6%, China 6.6%, UK 6.1%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Italy 5%, France 4.2% (2003)
 * $7.685 billion (2003)
 * $12.18 billion (2003 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
 * KWD
 * Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001), 0.3068 (2000), 0.3044 (1999)
 * 1 April - 31 March
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 486,900 (2003)
 * 1.42 million (2003)
 * general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
 * AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
 * 1.175 million (1997)
 * 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)
 * 875,000 (1997)
 * .kw
 * 3,437 (2001)
 * 3 (2000)
 * 567,000 (2003)
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!| Highways: paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.) !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 5 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: India 1, Saudi Arabia 1 by type: bulk 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 21, roll on/roll off 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) !| Heliports:
 * total: 4,450 km
 * gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004)
 * Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud
 * total: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,319,082 GRT/3,768,828 DWT
 * 7 (2003 est.)
 * total: 4
 * total: 3
 * 3 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (including Air Defense Force), National Guard
 * 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 880,461 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 531,556 (2004 est.)
 * males: 18,849 (2004 est.)
 * $2,500.4 million (2003)
 * 5.8% (2003)
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