KUWAIT GEOGRAPHY Total area: 17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: 462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km Coastline: 499 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: not specific; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: 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 Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf PEOPLE Population: 2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991) Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 2 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Kuwaiti(s); adjective--Kuwaiti Ethnic divisions: Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 20.1% Religion: Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken Literacy: 74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985) Labor force: 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 Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among government personnel GOVERNMENT Long-form name: State of Kuwait Type: nominal constitutional monarchy Capital: Kuwait Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK) Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962) Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: National Day, 25 February Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved 3 July 1986 Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal Leaders: 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 Political parties and leaders: none Suffrage: 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 Elections: National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for October 1992 Communists: insignificant Other political or pressure groups: large (150,000) Palestinian community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active; prodemocracy opposition Member of: 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 Diplomatic representation: 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 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side ECONOMY Overview: 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. GDP: $19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5% (1989) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1989) Unemployment rate: 0% (1989) Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88) Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--oil 90%; partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US Imports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing; partners--Japan, US, FRG, UK External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP Electricity: 8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced, 5,000 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, salt, construction Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported Economic aid: donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89) Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils Exchange rates: 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) Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand, light gravel Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 165 km Ports: Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi Merchant marine: 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 Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft Airports: 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 Telecommunications: 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 DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard Manpower availability: males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990)