Airports [time series]

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

Civil air [time series]

19 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand, light gravel

Merchant marine [time series]

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

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 165 km

Ports [time series]

Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported

Budget [time series]

revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Kuwaiti dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils

Economic aid [time series]

donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)

Electricity [time series]

8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced, 5,000 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1--0.2915 (January 1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--oil 90%; partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 July-30 June

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5% (1989)

Imports [time series]

$6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing; partners--Japan, US, FRG, UK

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP

Industries [time series]

petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, salt, construction

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3.3% (1989)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

0% (1989)

Climate [time series]

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Coastline [time series]

499 km Continental shelf: not specific; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification

Land boundaries [time series]

462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

Land use [time series]

arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Note [time series]

strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

Terrain [time series]

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Area (Total area) [time series]

17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

4 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah

Capital [time series]

Kuwait

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

insignificant

Constitution [time series]

16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

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

Executive branch [time series]

amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side

Independence [time series]

19 June 1961 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

High Court of Appeal 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

Legal system [time series]

civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved 3 July 1986

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

State of Kuwait

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

National Day, 25 February

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

large (150,000) Palestinian community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active; prodemocracy opposition

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

none

Suffrage [time series]

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 National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for October 1992

Government type (Type) [time series]

nominal constitutional monarchy

Birth rate [time series]

29 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

2 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 20.1% Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages (Language) [time series]

Arabic (official); English widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

72 years male, 76 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Kuwaiti(s); adjective--Kuwaiti

Net migration rate [time series]

10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

labor unions exist in oil industry and among government personnel

Population [time series]

2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.7 children born/woman (1991)