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| Kuwait | Introduction | Back to Top |
Kuwait (country), independent state on the north-western coast of the Persian Gulf. It is bordered on the north and north-west by Iraq, on the east by the Persian Gulf, and on the south by Saudi Arabia. The country's total area, including the islands of Bubiyan, Warbah, and Faylakah, is 17,818 sq km (6,880 sq mi). The national capital and chief port is Kuwait City. From August 1990 to February 1991, Iraq, in defiance of the United Nations Security Council, annexed and occupied Kuwait, claiming it as Iraq's 19th province. This action led to the Gulf War, which liberated the country. In November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions made in 1991 and 1993; this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands.
Official Name- State of Kuwait| Kuwait | Provinces | Back to Top |
5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli
| Kuwait | People | Back to Top |
2001 Kuwait had an estimated population of 2,041,961. The average population density was 115 persons per sq km (297 per sq mi). Most of the population is concentrated in cities near or along the Persian Gulf coast. Approximately 45 percent of the people are native Kuwaitis, while the remainder of the population, for the most part, are foreign workers. The majority of immigrants are from other Arab countries as well as Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Kuwait also has a significant population classified as bidun .
Arabic, the official language, is spoken by the majority of Kuwait's population; Persian and English also are spoken. Nearly all the nation's population is urban. The annual rate of growth traditionally has been high and is mainly due to immigration. Citizenship, however, is reserved by the government for native Kuwaitis and for those who can prove Kuwaiti ancestry from before 1920.
| Kuwait | History | Back to Top |
Kuwait has been settled for thousands of years, although the harsh physical conditions have led to shifting populations. In the 18th century several groups migrated from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula and settled at the site of present-day Kuwait city. One family, the Sabahs, established themselves as rulers. Economic activity centered around pearling and long-distance trade. In the late 19th century, the British established a presence in the area to secure the lines of communication and transportation to India. In particular, the British formed close relationships with local rulers who were anxious to assert their autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, which controlled much of the area. In 1899 Mubarak al-Sabah, then ruler of Kuwait, signed an agreement with Britain, making Kuwait a protectorate of the British Empire.
Kuwait first came to the attention of European powers in the late 19th century, when Germany sought to extend the Berlin-Baghdad railway to the port of Kuwait. To thwart both German and Ottoman influences, Great Britain and Kuwait concluded an agreement (1899) whereby Britain assumed control of Kuwait's foreign affairs. Following the outbreak of war with the Ottomans in 1914, Britain established a protectorate over Kuwait. Relations with Najd (later Saudi Arabia) were settled by the Treaty of al-Uqayr (1922), which involved the creation of the compromise Neutral Zone. The northern frontier with Iraq was agreed upon in 1923.
Oil was discovered in Kuwait in the late 1930s, but not until after World War II (1939-1945) did Kuwait begin to export large quantities of oil. Oil wealth transformed the society. Large-scale construction and economic development became possible, and since the government controlled oil revenues, the power of the Sabah family grew as well. Oil wealth also brought more contact with the outside world, and many younger Kuwaitis favored the pan-Arab movement, which sought greater ties among Arab countries.
| Kuwait | Culture | Back to Top |
Kuwait has a Muslim cultural heritage. The country still serves as a transit point for some of those participating in the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holy city. Kuwait's Pilgrim's City offers these travelers board, lodging, and essential services. Some Kuwaitis continue to practice such traditional activities as desert hunting and camel racing.
Archaeological evidence, particularly on Faylakah island in Kuwait Bay, suggests that Kuwait was part of an early civilization contemporary with Sumer and the Indus valley (3rd millennium BC). Having close connections with the cities of Mesopotamia and the trading centre of Dilmun (widely regarded as the modern Bahrain), Faylakah island flourished until approximately 1200 BC, when it disappeared from the historical record. Greek colonists arrived on the island during the time of Alexander III the Great (c. 323 BC) and built a temple dedicated to Artemis. The island passed to the Seleucids but declined during Roman times.
| Kuwait | Land | Back to Top |
Kuwait lies on a gently sloping plain rising westward from the Persian Gulf and reaching an elevation of 951 feet (290 m) at Ash-Shaqaya, the country's highest point, located near the extreme western border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait Bay extends 30 miles (48 km) inland from the Persian Gulf. Az-Zawr Escarpment, rising to 475 feet (145 m), extends along the northwestern shore of Kuwait Bay; a natural harbour and Kuwait, the capital city, occupy its southern shore. Except for Al-Jahrah Oasis, at the western end of Kuwait Bay, and a few fertile patches in the southeastern and coastal areas, the country is largely desert.
| Kuwait | Economy | Back to Top |
Kuwait is one of the world’s richest countries per capita. Its initial prosperity was founded almost completely on oil reserves, which, at an estimated 98 billion barrels, is roughly one-tenth of the world’s total. Over time, however, Kuwait used oil earnings to make large investments abroad. By 1990 the country earned more from foreign investment than from oil exports. The expenses of the Iraqi invasion and postwar reconstruction placed a heavy economic burden on the country, but by the mid-1990s Kuwait had resumed its preinvasion prosperity. Gross domestic product (GDP) for 1999 was $29.6 billion, giving Kuwait a per capita GDP of $15,370. The labor force totals 763,987 people, only about one-quarter of whom are Kuwaiti citizens.
Kuwait has a developing mixed government-owned and private-enterprise economy. The gross national product (GNP) is not growing as rapidly as the population, but the GNP per capita is nevertheless one of the highest in the world. The gross domestic product (GDP) originates primarily from crude petroleum and natural-gas production and refining. Agriculture in Kuwait is a marginal economic activity and contributes little to the GDP. The little arable land is irrigated from recycled wastewater or brackish groundwater to grow garden produce and livestock feed. Pastures cover less than one-twelfth of the total land area; principal livestock are sheep, goats, and cattle.
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'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. Higher oil prices put the FY99/00 budget into a $2 billion surplus. The FY00/01 budget covers only nine months because of a change in the fiscal year. The budget for FY01/02, which begins 1 April, contains higher expenditures for salaries, construction, and other general categories. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.
| Kuwait | Communications | Back to Top |
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 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
| Kuwait | Politics | Back to Top |
none; formation of political parties is illegal 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
| Kuwait | Government | Back to Top |
Kuwait is governed by its 1962 constitution, which established a National Assembly that shares power with an emir (prince) from the Sabah family. The emir suspended the constitution and parliament from 1976 to 1980 and again from 1986 to 1992, both times for loosely specified reasons. Although the emir and his family dominate the political system, there are significant elements of a parliamentary democracy. When the emir attempted to create a purely consultative national council in 1990 to replace the parliament, the opposition boycotted elections. Before the issue could be resolved, Iraq invaded. In return for unity during the invasion, the emir agreed to restore the constitution and parliament.
| Kuwait | Legal | Back to Top |
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); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamud Al Sabah (since NA) and MUHAMMAD KHALID al-Hamed Al Sabah (since NA) 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 Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
| Kuwait | organization | Back to Top |
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
| Kuwait | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard, Coast Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 780,559 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 466,521 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 18,309 (2001 est.)
| Kuwait | International Disputes | Back to Top |
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
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