Kuwait
State of KuwaitDawlat al Kuwayt
constitutional emirateIndependence 19 June 1961 (from UK)
Kuwait as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 128 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991, and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive.
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 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
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:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- Marine Dumping
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.037 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.771 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.691 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.526 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Government
Constitutional emirate; Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 3 April 2007)
18 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- State of Kuwait
- conventional short form:
- Kuwait
- local long form:
- Dawlat al Kuwayt
- local short form:
- Al Kuwayt
Capital
- name:
- Kuwait
- geographic coordinates:
- 29 22 N, 47 58 E
- time difference:
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir
Legal system
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
- NA years of age;
- universal (adult);
- note - males in the military or police are not allowed to vote;
- adult females were allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005;
- all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
- head of government:
- Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 3 April 2007);
- First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006);
- Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Faysal al-HAJJI (since 5 April 2007)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir
- elections:
- none;
- the amir is hereditary;
- the amir appoints the prime minister and deputy prime ministers
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; all cabinet ministers are also ex officio voting members of the National Assembly)
- elections:
- last held 29 June 2006 (next election to be held in 2010)
- election results:
- percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats by bloc - Islamic Bloc (Sunni) 17, Popular Bloc 9, National Action Bloc (liberals) 8, independents 16
Political parties and leaders
none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal, but is not forbidden by law
Political pressure groups and leaders
- a number of political groups act as de facto parties;
- several legislative blocs operate in the National Assembly: tribal groups, merchants, Shi'a activists, Islamists, secular liberals and pro-government deputies;
- in mid-2006, a coalition of Islamists, liberals, and Shia campaigned successfully for electoral reform to reduce corruption
International organization participation
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, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah al-Jabir 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 Richard LEBARON
- embassy:
- Bayan 36302, 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] 259-1001
- 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;
- design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I
Economy
Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves.
48 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 96 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. High oil prices in recent years have helped build Kuwait's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves.
As a result of this positive fiscal situation, the need for economic reforms is less urgent and the government has not earnestly pushed through new initiatives.
Industries
petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials
Exchange rates
Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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, 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;
- linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
- linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable;
- coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia;
- satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Merchant marine
- total:
- 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,195,831 GRT/3,566,308 DWT
- by type:
- bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, petroleum tanker 21
- registered in other countries:
- 28 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 1, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 6, UAE 8) (2007)
Ports and terminals
Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi
Military
Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007)
Military service age and obligation
- 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
- reserve obligation to age 40 with 1 month annual training;
- women have served in police forces since 1999 (2006)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 18,743
- females age 18-49:
- 20,065 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf
Trafficking in persons
- current situation:
- Kuwait is a destination country for men and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement;
- Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq;
- some of these workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Iraq;
- in past years, Kuwait was also a destination country for children exploited as camel jockeys, but this form of trafficking appears to have ceased
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 - insufficient efforts in 2006 to prosecute and punish abusive employers and those who traffic women for sexual exploitation;
- the government failed for the third year in a row to live up to promises to provide shelter and protective services for victims of involuntary domestic servitude and other forms of trafficking
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Kuwait.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/kuwait/2007.