Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/133.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 9.7 KB | 362 lines

@node Geography (Kuwait)
@section Geography (Kuwait)

@display

Location:
  Middle East, at the head of the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Map references:
  Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  17,820 km2
 land area:
  17,820 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  total 464 km, Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline:
  499 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:   not specified
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  in April 1991 Iraq officially accepted UN Security Council Resolution 687,
  which demands that Iraq accept the inviolability of the boundary set forth
  in its 1963 agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and
  Warbah Islands, or to all of Kuwait; the 20 May 1993 final report of the UN
  Iraq/Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission was welcomed by the Security
  Council in Resolution 833 of 27 May 1993, which also reaffirmed that the
  decisions of the commission on the boundary were final, bringing to a
  completion the official demarcation of the Iraq-Kuwait boundary; Iraqi
  officials still make public statements claiming 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:
  0%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  8%
 forest and woodland:
  0%
 other:
  92%
Irrigated land:
  20 km2 (1989 est.)
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



@end display

@node People (Kuwait)
@section People (Kuwait)

@display

Population:
  1,698,077 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  8.67% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  30.29 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  2.39 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  58.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  13.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:  total population:
  74.62 years
 male:
  72.47 years
 female:
  76.87 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.11 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Kuwaiti(s)
 adjective:
  Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions:
  Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
Religions:
  Muslim 85% (Shi'a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and
  other 15%
Languages:
  Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  73%
 male:
  77%
 female:
  67%
Labor force:
  566,000 (1986)
 by occupation:
  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%
 note:
  70% of labor force was non-Kuwaiti (1986)



@end display

@node Government (Kuwait)
@section Government (Kuwait)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  State of Kuwait
 conventional short form:
  Kuwait
 local long form:
  Dawlat al Kuwayt
 local short form:
  Al Kuwayt
Digraph:
  KU
Type:
  nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Kuwait
Administrative divisions:
  5 governorates (mu'hafaz'at, singular - muh'afaz'ah); Al Ah'madi, Al Jahrah,
  Al Kuwayt, 'Hawalli; Farwaniyah
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
Political parties and leaders:
  none
Other political or pressure groups:
  40,000 Palestinian community; small, clandestine leftist and Shi'a
  fundamentalist groups are active; several groups critical of government
  policies are active
Suffrage:
  adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendants at
  age 21
 note:
  out of all citizens, only 10% are eligible to vote and only 5% actually vote
Elections:
 National Assembly:
  dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections were held on 5 October 1992 with a
  second election in the 14th and 16th constituencies scheduled for 15
  February 1993
Executive branch:
  amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al 'umma) dissolved 3 July 1986;
  elections for new Assembly held 5 October 1992
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 SA'D al-'Abdallah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 8
  February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
  (since 17 October 1992)



@end display

@node Government (Kuwait 2. usage)
@section Government (Kuwait 2. usage)

@display

Member of:
  ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA,
  IBRD, ICAO, 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 in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Muhammad al-Sabah al-Salim al-SABAH
 chancery:   2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM, Jr.
 embassy:
  Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Kuwait International Hotel), Kuwait City
 mailing address:
  P.O. Box 77 SAFAT, 13001 SAFAT, Kuwait; APO AE 09880
 telephone:
  [965] 242-4151 through 4159
 FAX:
  [956] 244-2855
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black
  trapezoid based on the hoist side



@end display

@node Economy (Kuwait)
@section Economy (Kuwait)

@display

Overview:
  Kuwait is a small and relatively open economy with proven crude oil reserves
  of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Kuwait is rebuilding
  its war-ravaged petroleum sector and the increase in crude oil production to
  nearly 2.0 million barrels per day by the end of 1992 led to an enormous
  increase in GDP for the year. The government ran a cumulative fiscal deficit
  of approximately $70 billion over its last two fiscal years, reducing its
  foreign asset position and increasing its public debt to roughly $40
  billion. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP and over 90% of export
  and government revenue.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $15.3 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  80% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $11,100 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NEGL% (1992 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
Exports:
  $750 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
 commodities:
  oil
 partners:
  France 16%, Italy 15%, Japan 12%, UK 11%
Imports:
  $4.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
 commodities:
  food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
 partners:   US 35%, Japan 12%, UK 9%, Canada 9%
External debt:
  $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
 note:
  external debt has grown substantially in 1991 and 1992 to pay for
  restoration of war damage
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; accounts for NA% of GDP
Electricity:
  6,873,000 kW available out of 7,398,000 kW capacity due to Persian Gulf war;
  12,264 million kWh produced, 8,890 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, building
  materials, salt, construction
Agriculture:
  practically 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:
  1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
  Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.3044 (January 1993), 0.2934 (1992), 0.2843
  (1991), 0.2915 (1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988)



@end display

@node Economy (Kuwait 2. usage)
@section Economy (Kuwait 2. usage)

@display

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June



@end display

@node Communications (Kuwait)
@section Communications (Kuwait)

@display

Railroads:
  none
Highways:
  3,900 km total; 3,000 km bituminous; 900 km earth, sand, light gravel
Pipelines:
  crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 165 km
Ports:
  Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' al 'Ahmadi
Merchant marine:
  42 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,996,052 GRT/3,373,088 DWT; includes
  7 cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 24 oil tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 3 container
Airports:
 total:
  7
 usable:
  4
 with permanent-surface runways:
  4
 with runways over 3,659 m:   0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  4
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  civil network suffered extensive damage as a result of Desert Storm and
  reconstruction is still under way with some restored international and
  domestic capabilities; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 0 FM, 3 TV; satellite
  earth stations - destroyed during Persian Gulf War and not rebuilt yet;
  temporary mobile satellite ground stations provide international
  telecommunications; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia;
  service to Iraq is nonoperational



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Kuwait)
@section Defense Forces (Kuwait)

@display

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 498,254; fit for military service 298,865; reach military
  age (18) annually 14,459 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, 7.3% of GDP (FY92/93)



@end display