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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and
Saudi Arabia
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Geographic coordinates:
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29 30 N, 45 45 E
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Map references:
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Middle East
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Area:
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total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than New Jersey
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Land boundaries:
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total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
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Coastline:
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499 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate:
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dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
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Terrain:
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flat to slightly undulating desert plain
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.84%
permanent crops: 0.17%
other: 98.99% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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130 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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0.02 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 0.44 cu km/yr (45%/2%/52%)
per capita: 164 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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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 |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
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Population:
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2,596,799
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2008
est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 26.6% (male 351,057/female 338,634)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,172,460/female 659,927)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 46,770/female 27,951)
(2008 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 26.1 years
male: 28 years
female: 22.6 years (2008 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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3.591%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis
immigration of expatriates (2008 est.)
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Birth rate:
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21.9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Death rate:
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2.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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16.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.78 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1.53 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 9.22 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.53 years
male: 76.38 years
female: 78.73 years (2008 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.12% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti
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Ethnic groups:
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Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%,
other 7%
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Religions:
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Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), other (includes
Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), English widely spoken
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.3%
male: 94.4%
female: 91% (2005 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2006)
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Education expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.8% (2006)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
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Government type:
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constitutional emirate
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Capital:
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name: Kuwait
geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi,
Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al
Kabir |
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Independence:
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19 June 1961 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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National Day, 25 February (1950)
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Constitution:
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approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
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Legal system:
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civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
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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
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Legislative branch:
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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 17 May 2008 (next election to be
held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats
by bloc - Sunni 21, Islamic Salafi Alliance 10, Liberals 7,
Shiites 5, Popular Action Bloc 4, Islamic Constitutional
Movement 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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High Court of Appeal
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Political parties and leaders:
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none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal
but is not forbidden by law
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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other: Islamists; merchants; political groups;
secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia
activists; tribal groups
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), 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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah K. JONES
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
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with
self-reported crude oil reserves of about 104 billion
barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for
nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of
government income. 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. Despite
its vast oil reserves, Kuwait experienced power outages
during the summer months in 2006 and 2007 because demand
exceeded power generating capacity. Power outages are likely
to worsen, given its high population growth rates, unless
the government can increase generating capacity. In May 2007
Kuwait changed its currency peg from the US dollar to a
basket of currencies in order to curb inflation and to
reduce its vulnerability to external shocks. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$130.1 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$111.3 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.6% (2007 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$39,300 (2007 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.3%
industry: 51.5%
services: 48.1% (2007 est.)
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Labor force:
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2.093 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor
force (2007 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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Unemployment rate:
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2.2% (2004 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5% (2007 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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21.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $84.76 billion
expenditures: $36.8 billion (2007 est.)
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Public debt:
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7.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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practically no crops; fish
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Industries:
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petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair,
water desalination, food processing, construction materials
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2.2% (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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41.11 billion kWh (2005)
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Electricity - consumption:
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36.28 billion kWh (2005)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Oil - production:
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2.669 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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333,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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2.2 million bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - imports:
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2,611 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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101.5 billion bbl (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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11.8 billion cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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11.8 billion cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2005)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.521 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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$52.73 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports:
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$61.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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oil and refined products, fertilizers
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 19.5%, South Korea 17.4%, Taiwan 10.4%, Singapore
9.7%, US 8.2%, Netherlands 4.6%, China 4.6% (2006)
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Imports:
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$19.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
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Imports - partners:
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US 12.9%, Japan 8.7%, Germany 7.5%, China 7.1%, Saudi Arabia
6.4%, Italy 5.9%, UK 4.7%, India 4%, South Korea 4% (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2.6 million (2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$16.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$34.67 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$963 million (2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$19.88 billion (2007 est.)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$128.9 billion (2006)
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Currency (code):
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Kuwaiti dinar (KD)
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Exchange rates:
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Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006),
0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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510,300 (2005)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2.774 million (2007)
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Telephone system:
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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 - 6 (3
Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 1 Inmarsat -
Atlantic Ocean, and 2 Arabsat) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
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Television broadcast stations:
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13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.kw
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Internet hosts:
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2,013 (2007)
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Internet users:
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816,700 (2006)
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Airports:
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7 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
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Heliports:
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4 (2007)
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Pipelines:
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gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2007)
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Roadways:
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total: 5,749 km
paved: 4,887 km
unpaved: 862 km (2004)
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Merchant marine:
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total: 40 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,460,319 GRT/4,037,282
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, carrier 3,
container 7, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 23
registered in other countries: 31 (Bahrain 3, Comoros
1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 6, St Kitts and
Nevis 1, UAE 10) (2008)
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Ports and terminals:
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Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd
Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi
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Military branches:
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Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya
al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007)
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Military service age and obligation:
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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) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 16-49: 1,032,408
females age 16-49: 568,657 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 16-49: 892,816
females age 16-49: 500,540 (2008 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
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males age 16-49: 17,737
females age 16-49: 18,519 (2008 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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5.3% (2006)
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Disputes - international:
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Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint
maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists
with Iraq in the Persian Gulf |
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Trafficking in persons:
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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
tier rating: Tier 3 - insufficient efforts in 2007 to
prosecute and punish abusive employers and those who traffic
women for sexual exploitation; the government failed for the
fourth 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 (2008)
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This page was last updated on 21 August
2008
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