KUWAIT
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: 462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment: some of world's largest and most sophisticated
desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution;
desertification
Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
PEOPLE
Population: 2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 2 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Kuwaiti(s); adjective--Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions: Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%,
Iranian 4%, other 20.1%
Religion:
Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi,
and other 15%
Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken
Literacy: 74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1985)
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
Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among
government personnel
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: State of Kuwait
Type: nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kuwait
Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt,
Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29
August 1962)
Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in
personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 25 February
Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved
3 July 1986
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
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
Elections:
National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are
scheduled for October 1992
Communists: insignificant
Other political or pressure groups: large (150,000) Palestinian
community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist
groups are active; prodemocracy opposition
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
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and
red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
ECONOMY
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.
GDP: $19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5%
(1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 0% (1989)
Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion,
including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--oil 90%;
partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US
Imports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--food, construction materials, vehicles and parts,
clothing;
partners--Japan, US, FRG, UK
External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for
52% of GDP
Electricity: 8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced,
5,000 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food
processing, salt, construction
Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about
75% of potable water must be distilled or imported
Economic aid: donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less
developed countries (1979-89)
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
Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
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
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
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National
Guard
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for
military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990)
