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.

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia

29 30 N, 45 45 E

total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km
water: 0 sq km

total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

499 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m

petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

arable land: 0.84%
permanent crops: 0.17%
other: 98.99% (2005)

130 sq km (2003)

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

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

strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

2,418,393
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 26.9% (male 331,768/female 319,895)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 1,085,721/female 613,746)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 42,460/female 24,803) (2006 est.)

total: 25.9 years
male: 28 years
female: 22.3 years (2006 est.)

3.52%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2006 est.)

21.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

2.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

15.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 9.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.72 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 77.2 years
male: 76.13 years
female: 78.31 years (2006 est.)

2.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.12% (2001 est.)

noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti

Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%

Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%
male: 85.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt

constitutional hereditary emirate

Kuwait

6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir

19 June 1961 (from UK)

National Day, 25 February (1950)

approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

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

adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females (as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizens for 20 years

unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, independents 12; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly

High Court of Appeal

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.

$53.31 billion (2005 est.)

$55.8 billion (2005 est.)

5.6% (2005 est.)

$22,800 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 0.5%
industry: 52.1%
services: 47.4% (2005 est.)

1.67 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2005 est.)

2.2% (2004 est.)

3.5% (2005 est.)

6.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $47.21 billion
expenditures: $20.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

17.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

practically no crops; fish

petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials

-5% (2002 est.)

38.19 billion kWh (2003)

35.52 billion kWh (2003)

2.418 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

305,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

1.97 million bbl/day (2003)

96.5 billion bbl (2005 est.)

8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.)

8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.)

1.572 trillion cu m (2005)

$31.51 billion (2005 est.)

$44.43 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

oil and refined products, fertilizers

Japan 20.5%, South Korea 13.6%, US 12.4%, Singapore 11.2%, Taiwan 9.9% (2004)

$12.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

US 12.9%, Germany 12%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Italy 5%, France 4.5%, China 4.1% (2004)

$9.296 billion (2005 est.)

$14.93 billion (2005 est.)

Kuwaiti dinar (KD)

1 April - 31 March

497,000 (2004)

2 million (2004)

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; 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

AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)

.kw

2,439 (2005)

600,000 (2005)

7 (2005)

total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)

total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2005)

4 (2005)

gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004)

total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,587 km
unpaved: 863 km (1999)

total: 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,294,233 GRT/3,730,776 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 20
foreign-owned: 1 (Iran 1)
registered in other countries: 29 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 6, UAE 8) (2005)

Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi

Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense Force), National Guard (2002)

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf