Background: 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.

Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N 45 45 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 17,820 km²
Water: 0 km²
Land: 17,820 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 462 km
Border countries: (2) Iraq 240 km; , Saudi Arabia 222 km

Coastline: 499 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short cool winters

Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain

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

Natural resources: petroleum fish shrimp natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 0.34%
Permanent crops: 0.06%
Other: 99.6% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: 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

Geography
Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

Population
Note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Kuwaiti
Adjective: Kuwaiti

Ethnic groups: Kuwaiti 45% other Arab 35% South Asian 9% Iranian 4% other 7%

Languages: Arabic (official) English widely spoken

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 310,008; female 298,474)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 970,282; female 547,753)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 36,306; female 20,338) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 25.9 years
Male: 28.4 years
Female: 21.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate
Note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 21.83 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 2.45 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 14.04 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Environment
Current issues: 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
International agreements party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.77 male/female
65 years and over: 1.79 male/female
Total population: 1.52 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.57 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 11.58 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.53 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.65 years
Male: 75.72 years
Female: 77.62 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.08 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 83.5%
Male: 85.1%
Female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: State of Kuwait
Conventional short form: Kuwait
Local short form: Al Kuwayt
Local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt

Government type: nominal constitutional monarchy

Capital: Kuwait

Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi Al Farwaniyah Al 'Asimah Al Jahra' Hawalli

Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)

National holiday: National Day 25 February (1950)

Constitution: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

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

Suffrage
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 SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister NAWWAF al-Ahmad Al Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad Al Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003)
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
Elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
Election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly

Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: none; formation of political parties is illegal

International organization participation: ABEDA AfDB AFESD AL AMF BDEAC CAEU ESCWA FAO G-77 GCC IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO ITU NAM OAPEC OIC OPCW OPEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNITAR UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sheikh SALIM al-Abdallah Jabir Al Sabah
In the us fax: [1] (202) 966-0517
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
In the us chancery: 2,940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
From the us embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13,001 Safat, Kuwait Unit 69,000, APO AE 9,880-9,000
From the us telephone: [965] 539-5,307, ext. 2,240
From the us fax: [965] 538-0282

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

Economy overview: Kuwait is a small rich relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 98 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. Oil production declined by an estimated 8% in 2002 but is expected to return to the 2001 level in 2003.

Real gdp growth rate: -2% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 60%
Industry: 39.7%
Services: 0.3% (2000)

Agriculture products: practically no crops; fish

Industries: petroleum petrochemicals desalination food processing construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: -5% (2002 est.)

Labor force
Note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force. (1998 est.)
By occupation: agriculture NA industries NA services NA

Unemployment rate: 7% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $11 billion
Expenditures: $17.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 02/03)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (2002 est.)

Exports: $16 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: oil and refined products fertilizers
Partners: Japan 24.4% South Korea 12.9% US 11.9% Singapore 10.1% Taiwan 7% Netherlands 4.5% Pakistan 4.4% (2002)

Imports: $7.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: food construction materials vehicles and parts clothing
Partners: US 13.1% Japan 11.1% Germany 9.7% Saudi Arabia 6.6% UK 6% Italy 5.4% France 5.2% (2002)

Debt external: $10.4 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3 (2002) 0.31 (2001) 0.31 (2000) 0.3 (1999) 0.3 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 31.49 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 29.29 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 9.5 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 9.5 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.548 trillion m³ (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 412,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 210,000 (1997)

Telephone system
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: 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

Internet
Country code: .kw
Service providers isps: 3 (2000)
Users: 200,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure note: Kuwait is changing its fiscal year; the above figure is for July-March 2001; future budget years will be April-March annually
Percent of gdp: 5.5% (FY01)

Airports: 6 (2002)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2002)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1

Heliports: 3 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2003)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,273,628 GRT/3,638,645 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 19, roll on/roll off 1
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1, Saudi Arabia 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: the Kuwait 1994 land and Khawr 'Abd Allah channel boundary demarcation ended Iraqi claims to Kuwait and Bubiyan and Warbah islands; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are negotiating maritime boundary with Iran