Kuwait
State of KuwaitDawlat al Kuwayt
nominal constitutional monarchyIndependence 19 June 1961 (from UK)
Kuwait as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 109 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 dollars to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.
Geography
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
18 fieldsLand useshare of 17,820 sq km
Natural hazards
- sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April;
- they bring inordinate amounts of 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 agreements
- party to:
- Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2000 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 29.36% (male 295,102; female 284,327)
- 15-64 years:
- 68.32% (male 860,318; female 488,004)
- 65 years and over:
- 2.32% (male 29,544; female 16,277) (2000 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.76 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.82 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.5 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Government
Nominal constitutional monarchy; Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31 December 1977); Prime Minister and Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdallah al-Salim Al Sabah (since 8 February 1978)
19 fieldsNational Assembly or Majlis al-Umma, 50 seats, elected 3 July 1999one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- State of Kuwait
- conventional short form:
- Kuwait
- local long form:
- Dawlat al Kuwayt
- local short form:
- Al Kuwayt
Administrative divisions
5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli
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);
- Second Deputy Prime Minister SALIM al-Sabah al-Salim Al Sabah (since 7 October 1996)
- 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
Political pressure groups and leaders
several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists
International organization participation
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the 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
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 966-0517
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador James A. LAROCCO
- 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 or 539-5308
- 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 is a small, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1996)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Kuwait is a small, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90% of export revenues, and 75% of government income. 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. Higher oil prices reduced the budget deficit from $5.5 billion to $3 billion in 1999, and prices are expected to remain relatively strong throughout 2000.
The government is proceeding slowly with reforms. It inaugurated Kuwait's first free-trade zone in 1999 and will continue discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.
Labor force - by occupation
government and social services 50%, services 40%, industry and agriculture 10% (1996 est.)
Industries
petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials, salt, construction
Exchange rates
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.3042 (January 2000), 0.3044 (1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997), 0.2994 (1996), 0.2984 (1995)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
the civil network suffered some damage as a result of the Gulf war, but most of the telephone exchanges were left intact and, by the end of 1994, domestic and international telecommunications had been restored to normal operation; 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;
- approximately 15,000 Internet subscribers in 1996
- 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
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Ports and harbors
Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud
Merchant marine
- total:
- 48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,506,448 GRT/4,040,921 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 1, cargo 9, container 6, liquified gas 7, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 21 (1999 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard, Coast Guard
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - 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;
- ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands disputed by Saudi Arabia [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Kuwait.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/kuwait/2000.