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Kuwait - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Kuwait :
Introduction Kuwait
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Background: 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
completely liberated Kuwait in four
days. Kuwait has spent more than $5
billion to repair oil infrastructure
damaged during 1990-91.
Geography Kuwait
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Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian
Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N, 45 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 17,820 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi
Arabia 222 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers;
short, cool winters
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert
plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306
m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0.34%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 99.61% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from
October to April; they 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
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
Environment - international party to: Climate Change,
agreements: Desertification, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:
Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
Marine Dumping
Geography - note: strategic location at head of
Persian Gulf
People Kuwait
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Population: 2,111,561
note: includes 1,159,913 non-
nationals (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.3% (male 304,200;
female 292,900)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 934,115;
female 527,331)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male
34,106; female 18,909) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.33%
note: this rate reflects a return to
pre-Gulf crisis immigration of
expatriates (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 21.84 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 2.46 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 13.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.8 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.52 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.46 years
male: 75.56 years
female: 77.39 years (2002 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.14 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti
Ethnic groups: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South
Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
Religions: Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%),
Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other
15%
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely
spoken
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 78.6%
male: 82.2%
female: 74.9% (1995 est.)
Government Kuwait
-----------------
Country name: conventional long form: State of
Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local short form: Al Kuwayt
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
Government type: nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kuwait
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular
- muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al
Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra',
Hawalli
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 25 February (1950)
Constitution: approved and promulgated 11 November
1962
Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law
significant in personal matters; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 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
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: chief of state: Amir 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); First Deputy Prime Minister
SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah
(since 17 October 1992); Deputy
Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-
Hamud Al Sabah (since NA) and
MUHAMMAD KHALID al-Hamed Al Sabah
(since NA)
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: unicameral National Assembly or
Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 July 1999
(next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote -
NA%; seats - independents 50; note -
all cabinet ministers are also ex
officio members of the National
Assembly
Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: none; formation of political parties
is illegal
Political pressure groups and several political groups act as de
leaders: facto parties: Bedouins, merchants,
Sunni and Shi'a activists, and
secular leftists and nationalists
International organization ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC,
participation: CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM,
OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sheikh
Salem Abdullah Al Jaber AL SABAH
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517
telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Richard
US: H. JONES
embassy: Bayan, near the Bayan
palace, Kuwait City
mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat,
13001 Safat, Kuwait Unit 69000, APO
AE 09880-9000
telephone: [965] 539-5307, ext. 2240
FAX: [965] 538-0282
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of
green (top), white, and red with a
black trapezoid based on the hoist
side
Economy Kuwait
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Economy - overview: Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively
open economy with proved crude oil
reserves of 94 billion barrels - 10%
of world reserves. Petroleum
accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90%
of export revenues, and 75% 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.
Higher oil prices put the FY99/00
budget into a $2 billion surplus.
The FY00/01 budget covers only nine
months because of a change in the
fiscal year. The budget for FY01/02
envisioned higher expenditures for
salaries, construction, and other
general categories. Kuwait continues
its discussions with foreign oil
companies to develop fields in the
northern part of the country.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $30.9
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,100
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: industry: 60%
services: 39.7%
agriculture: 0.3% (2000)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2001)
Labor force: 1.3 million (1998 est.)
note: 68% of the population in the
15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%,
services NA%
Unemployment rate: 1.8% (official 1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $11.5 billion
expenditures: $17.2 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (FY01/02)
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals,
desalination, food processing,
construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 31.2 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 29.016 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: practically no crops; fish
Exports: $16.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: oil and refined products,
fertilizers
Exports - partners: Japan 23%, US 14%, South Korea 13%,
Singapore 7%, Netherlands 6%,
Pakistan 6%, Indonesia 4%, UK 2%
(2000)
Imports: $7.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, construction materials,
vehicles and parts, clothing
Imports - partners: US 12%, Japan 8%, UK 8%, Germany 7%,
China 5%, France 4%, Australia 3%,
Netherlands 2% (2000)
Debt - external: $6.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: NA
Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (KD)
Currency code: KWD
Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar -
0.3075 (January 2002), 0.3066,
(2001), 0.3067 (2000), 0.3044
(1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Kuwait
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Telephones - main lines in use: 412,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 210,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: the quality of
service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges
provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is
carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, open wire, and fiber-
optic cable; a cellular telephone
system operates throughout Kuwait,
and the country is well supplied
with pay telephones
international: 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: AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.175 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus several satellite channels)
(1997)
Televisions: 875,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .kw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 165,000 (2001)
Transportation Kuwait
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Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,590 km
unpaved: 860 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 877 km; petroleum products
40 km; natural gas 165 km
Ports and harbors: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait,
Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi,
Mina' Su'ud
Merchant marine: total: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 2,274,515 GRT/3,627,835 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1,
container 6, liquefied gas 6,
livestock carrier 5, petroleum
tanker 19
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Monaco 1, Saudi Arabia
1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 7 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
Heliports: 3 (2001)
Military Kuwait
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Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force (including Air
Defense Force), National Police
Force, National Guard, Coast Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-
49: 812,059 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-
49: 486,906 (2002 est.)
service:
Military manpower - reaching males: 18,309 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $1,967.3 million (FY01)
figure: note: Kuwait is changing its fiscal
year; the above figure is for July-
March 2001; future budget years will
be April-March annually
Military expenditures - percent of 5.5% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Kuwait
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Disputes - international: 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, although the Iraqi
Government continues periodic
rhetorical challenges
Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)
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Example Usage of Kuwait |
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Neoark25: @abdulli shesha place in Kuwait. |
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sophieheng: @PrincessReem oh nice 2 meet u . im from Kuwait <Kuwait is in the house. Enjoy your day! |
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SelllyJ: I Feel so good,even though I'm FREEEEEEEZINGGGG (But in Kuwait not in NY) like @TheRealJordin lol ,I love you @TheRealJordin You're amazing! |
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