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Kuwait
*** Shopping-Tip: Kuwait
{{about|the country of Kuwait|the capital city with the same name|
Kuwait City}}
{{Infobox_Country
|native_name = دولة الكويت
''Dawlat al Kuwayt''
|conventional_long_name = State of Kuwait
|common_name = Kuwait
|image_flag = Flag of Kuwait.svg
|image_coat = KUW-coat.gif
|image_map =LocationKuwait.png
|national_motto = For Kuwait
|national_anthem = ''
Al-Nasheed Al-Watani''
|official_languages =
Arabic language Arabic,
English language English - (Widely spoken)
|capital =
Kuwait City
|latd=29 |latm=22 |lats=11|latNS=N |longd=47 |longm=58 |longs=42|longEW=E
|largest_city =
Kuwait City
|government_type =
nominal constitutional monarchy
|leader_titles =
List of emirs of Kuwait EmirCrown PrinceList of Prime ministers of Kuwait Prime minister
|leader_names =
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah
|area_rank = 153rd
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|area=17,818
|areami²= 6,880
|percent_water = Negligible
|population_estimate = 2,335,648
1
|population_estimate_rank = 135th
|population_estimate_year = July 2005
|population_census =
|population_census_year =
|population_density =131
|population_densitymi² = 339
|population_density_rank = 57th
|GDP_PPP = $51.62 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank =78th
|GDP_PPP_year= 2005
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $22,100
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 45th
|sovereignty_type =
Independence
|established_events = from the
United Kingdom
|established_dates =
June 19,
1961
|HDI = 0.844
|HDI_rank = 44th
|HDI_year = 2003
|HDI_category =
high
|currency =
Kuwaiti Dinar
|currency_code = KWD
|country_code =
|time_zone =
|utc_offset = +3
|time_zone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|cctld =
.kw
|calling_code = 965
|footnotes = 1.)
Figure includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2005 est.).
}}
The '''State of Kuwait''' is a small oil-rich monarchy on the coast of the
Persian Gulf, enclosed by
Saudi Arabia in the south and
Iraq in the north. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water."
History
{{main|History of Kuwait}}
Kuwait was established in the 16th century when several clans (bedouins) from the Al Aniza tribe migrated to the northern shore of the Persian Gulf from the Najd, their famine-stricken homeland in central
Arabia. They settled in what is now known as Qatar for more than sixty years before migrating over sea to settle in the Isle De Chader, where they built a small fort, or “kut”.
The current rulers of the country are descended from Sabah I, who was chosen by the community, which was composed mainly of traders. They were tasked with administering the affairs of the State, including foreign affairs and taxation/duties. This is unlike most other Arab emirates of the Persian Gulf where the rulers seized and maintained authority by force.
The 17th century saw the Arabian Peninsula in tumultuous times. The area that is now Kuwait was occupied by tribes and used for spice trading from
India. By the 18th century, most of the local people made a living selling
pearls. However, as
pearl farming developed in
Japan during the 1930s, Kuwait became impoverished. In 1899, growing
United Kingdom British influence led to Kuwait becoming a British
protectorate. Oil transformed Kuwait into one of the richest countries in the Arab peninsula; in 1953 the country became the largest exporter of oil in the Persian Gulf. This massive growth attracted many immigrant laborers who were rarely granted citizenship. Kuwait, having amassed great wealth, was the first of the Persian Gulf-Arab states to declare independence on
June 19 1961. Iraq challenged this declaration, claiming that Kuwait was part of its territory. It threatened to invade Kuwait, but was deterred by the British, who flew in troops.
An important period in Kuwait's political, social and economic development was the Souk Al-Manakh Crisis of 1982. This was a major stock market crash that had widespread consequences and has endured in the public memory twenty years later as a result.
Image:USAF F-16A F-15C F-15E Desert Storm pic.jpg United_Nations left|thumb|250px|[[United Nations|Coalition aircraft flying over
Kuwaiti oil fires during
Operation Desert Storm.html" title="Meaning of Coalition.html" title="Meaning of left|thumb|250px|[[United Nations|Coalition">left|thumb|250px|[[United Nations|Coalition aircraft flying over
Kuwaiti oil fires during
Operation Desert Storm">Coalition.html" title="Meaning of left|thumb|250px|[[United Nations|Coalition">left|thumb|250px|[[United Nations|Coalition aircraft flying over
Kuwaiti oil fires during
Operation Desert Storm
After being allied with
Iraq during the
Iran-Iraq War until its end in 1988 (largely due to the desire for Iraqi protection from Shiite
Iran), Kuwait was invaded and
annexed by Iraq (under
Saddam Hussein) on
August 2,
1990. Hussein's primary justifications included a charge that Kuwaiti territory was in fact an Iraqi province, and that annexation was retaliation for "economic warfare" Kuwait had allegedly waged through
slant drilling into oil supplies that were in disputed territories. The monarchy was deposed after annexation, and a new Kuwaiti governor was installed by
Saddam Hussein.
Authorized by the
UN Security Council, an
United States American-led coalition of 34 nations fought the
Persian Gulf War to reinstate the Kuwaiti
Emir. After 6 weeks of fierce fighting in early 1991, Iraq was forced to withdraw its troops from Kuwait on
February 26,
1991; during retreat, the Iraqi Armed Forces practiced a
scorched earth policy by
Kuwaiti_oil_fires setting fire to Kuwaiti oil wells. The fires took over nine months to fully extinguish, and the cost of repairs to oil infrastructure exceeded US$5,000,000,000. Certain buildings and infrastructural facilities (including
Kuwait International Airport) were also severely damaged during the war . Kuwait now remains under the governance of the Emir,
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah (since
29 January 2006) as an independent state and is of strategic importance.
Politics
{{main|Politics of Kuwait}}
Kuwait is a constituational monarchy and has the first directly elected parliament in the Persian gulf Arab countries. Chief of state is the
Emir, a semi-hereditary title. The emir appoints the prime minister, who until recently was also the crown prince. A council of ministers aids the prime minister in his task as head of government which must contain at least one of elected members of the parliament. The number of minister must not exceed 1/3 of the elected members of the parliament.
The parliament has the power to dismiss the prime minister or anyone of his cabinet through a series of constituational procedures. According to the Constituion, nomination of a new emir by the ruling family has to be confirmed by the National Assembly. If he couldn't win the majority of the votes, the ruling family must select 3 candidates one to be chosen by the parliment. The parliament known as the
Majlis Al-Umma (National Assembly), consists of 50 members, who are chosen in elections held every four years. Government ministers, according to the Constitution of the State, are given automatic membership in the parliament.
Prior to 2005, only 15% of the Kuwaiti citizen population was allowed to vote, with all women, "recently naturalised" citizens (less than 30 years of citizenship), and members of the armed forces excluded. On
May 16,
2005, Parliament permitted
women's suffrage by a 35-23 vote, subject to
Islamic law and effective for the 2007 Parliamentary Election. The decision could raise Kuwait's voter rolls from 139,000 to as many as 339,000 if all eligible women register; the total number of Kuwaitis is estimated at more than 960,000. Recently, the former Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah announced the appointment of Dr Massouma Mubarak as planning minister and minister of state for administrative development affairs. The appointment of a woman as a cabinet minister was a big breakthrough in Kuwaiti political system and it makes Kuwait the third country in the conservative Persian Gulf Arab countries to have a woman cabinet minister.
See also:''
al-Sabah al-Sabah Ruling Family
See also:''
Elections in Kuwait
Governorates
Image:Ku-map.gif 200px|thumb|right|Map of Kuwait
{{main|Governorates of Kuwait}}
Kuwait is divided into 6
governorates or
provinces (Arabic: ''muhafazat'', singular - ''muhafadhah''). The Kuwaiti government prefers to use the term governorate over province:
*
Al Ahmadi
*
Al Farwaniyah
*
Al Asimah
*
Al Jahra
*
Hawalli
*
Mubarak Al-Kabeer
The major cities are the capital
Kuwait City Kuwait, and
Jahrah (further in the north-west, 30-minute drive from the capital). The main residential and business areas are
Salmiya and
Hawalli. The main industrial area is
Shuwaikh which resides within the
Al Asimah Al Asimah Governorate.
Geography and climate
{{main|Geography of Kuwait}}
Kuwait consists mostly of desert, with little altitude difference. Kuwait is the only country in the world with no natural
lake or water reservoir. It has nine islands, the largest one being the ''Bubiyan'', which is linked to the mainland by a concrete bridge (after the liberation in 1991 the island was converted into a military base and currently no civilians are allowed in).
The islands are:
Image:Kuwait city 1996.jpg 200px|thumb|right|Kuwait from space
*
Auhah Island
*
Bubiyan Island
*
Failaka Island
*
Kubbar Island
*
Miskan Island
*
Qaruh Island
*
Umm al Maradim Island
*
Umm an Namil Island
*
Warbah Island
Kuwait is considered to be one of the fifteen lands that comprise the "
Cradle of Humanity".
Kuwait enjoys a variable continental climate. Summers (April to October) are extremely hot and dry with temperatures reaching above 51 °C (124 °F) in
Kuwait City. Winters (November to February) are cool with limited precipitation and temperature level dropping below 21 °C (70 °F). The spring season is cool and pleasant.
Economy
Image:Kuwaittowers.JPG Kuwait_City.html" title="Meaning of right right|200px|thumb|[[Kuwait City is one the busiest financial and trade centers in the
Middle East. Shown here are the
Kuwait Towers, Kuwait city's most famous landmark.html" title="Meaning of 200px|thumb|[[Kuwait City">right|200px|thumb|[[Kuwait City is one the busiest financial and trade centers in the
Middle East. Shown here are the
Kuwait Towers, Kuwait city's most famous landmark">200px|thumb|[[Kuwait City">right|200px|thumb|[[Kuwait City is one the busiest financial and trade centers in the
Middle East. Shown here are the
Kuwait Towers, Kuwait city's most famous landmark
{{main|Economy of Kuwait}}
Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of 94 billion barrels (15 km³) - 10% of world reserves.
Petroleum accounts for nearly half of
Gross domestic product GDP, 90% of export revenues, and 75% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits
agriculture agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of
fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be
distillation distilled or imported. Higher oil prices put the FY99/00 budget into a €1.7 billion ($2 billion) surplus. The FY00/01 budget covers only nine months because of a change in the fiscal year. The budget for FY01/02 envisioned 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. 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 2003 was €34.6 billion ($41.7 billion), giving Kuwait a per capita GDP of $17,420 (€14,166). The labor force totals 1,073,115 people, only about one-quarter of whom are Kuwaiti citizens.{{ref|figure}}
The Central Bank of Kuwait in the capital city issues Kuwait’s currency, the Kuwaiti dinar. The dinar is valued at 0.351676 KWD per 1EUR and at 0.292010 KWD per 1USD, making it the highest-valued currency in the world.
Oil Industry
Because the government owns the oil industry, it controls most of the economy—in all, about 75 percent of the GDP. Kuwait’s oil exports vary depending on internal needs (almost all of Kuwait’s energy is derived from oil), international demand and prices, and production quotas fixed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), of which Kuwait is a member. OPEC’s quotas, however, are difficult to enforce, and Kuwait and other countries have been accused of violating them. In 2002 oil production was 692 million barrels.
The chief oil companies are -
* '''Kuwait Petroleum Corporation''' (
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation KPC) - ''International Marketing and Mother Company
* '''Kuwait Oil Company''' (
Kuwait Oil Company KOC) - ''A crude oil exploration and development company''
* '''Kuwait National Petroleum Company''' (
Kuwait National Petroleum Company KNPC) - ''Runs Oil Refineries across Kuwait''
* '''Petrochemicals Industries Company''' (
Petrochemicals Industries Company PIC) - ''Petrochemical & Fertilizers manufacturer''
* '''Kuwait Petroleum Inernational''' (
Kuwait Petroleum Inernational KPI - '''Q8''') - ''Runs refining and marketing business overseas''
* '''Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploraton Company''' (
Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploraton Company KUFPEC) - ''Intl. Oil Exploration Company ''
* '''Equate''' (
EQUATE) - ''A Petrochemical company formed by '''(
PIC)''' and '''(
Dow Chemical)''' ''
* '''Kuwait Oil Tanker Company''' (
Kuwait Oil Tanker Company KOTC) - ''Crude Oil Shipping''
* '''Kuwait Aviation Fueling Company''' (
Kuwait Aviation Fueling Company KAFCO) - ''Aircraft Fueling
* '''Kuwait Gulf Oil Company''' (
Kuwait Gulf Oil Company KGOC) -''Oil & Gas exploration and production in the divided zone. A shared joint venture with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Demographics
{{main|Demographics of Kuwait}}
Kuwaiti citizens are a minority of those who reside in Kuwait. The government only rarely grants citizenship to non-citizens (who are generally referred to as expatriates). About 57% of the Kuwaiti population is Arab; Arab expatriates include a large group of stateless Arabs, locally known as
Bidoon (an
Arabic language Arabic word meaning "without" and different from
Bedouin), along with
Egypt Egyptians,
Lebanon Lebanese and other Arabs. Other large groups of expatriates include
Pakistanis,
Indians,
Bangladeshis and
Filipino people Filipinos. Kuwait formerly had a large
Palestinian population, though most of them were forced out of the country after
PLO leader
Yassir Arafat's support of
Iraq during the
Gulf War Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.
The official language is
Arabic language Arabic, although
English language English is generally understood. Some immigrants also speak their own local languages. About 85% of Kuwait's population are
Muslims, it is estimated that around 81% of them are
Sunni, and around 19% or slightly more are
Shia Muslims. Of the Kuwaiti citizen population, however, about 65% are Sunni, and about 35% are Shia Muslims.
Infrastructure
Image:LiberationTower.jpg Kuwait City.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|right|thumb|The skyline of [[Kuwait City. At 372 m (1,220
foot (unit of length) ft), the
Liberation Tower (seen in background) is the world's 13th tallest free-standing structure..html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|The skyline of [[Kuwait City">200px|right|thumb|The skyline of [[Kuwait City. At 372 m (1,220
foot (unit of length) ft), the
Liberation Tower (seen in background) is the world's 13th tallest free-standing structure.">right|thumb|The skyline of [[Kuwait City">200px|right|thumb|The skyline of [[Kuwait City. At 372 m (1,220
foot (unit of length) ft), the
Liberation Tower (seen in background) is the world's 13th tallest free-standing structure.
Kuwait's infrastructure took a considerable beating during the
Persian Gulf War 1st Persian Gulf War. Hundreds of oil wells were set on fire and the country's oil production had come to standstill. Much has changed since the end of the Persian Gulf War. The Kuwaiti government has spent billions of dollars to construct an elaborate roadway system and in 2003, the telecommunication industry achieved an incredible growth rate.
Kuwait City boasts more than a dozen 5-star hotels and resorts and several skyscrapers dominate the city's skyline. Kuwait Infrastructure Maintenance Management System ovelooks the oil-rich country's infrastructure. Kuwait's energy sector is the main source for 47% of the country's annual income.
Transportation
Kuwait’s transportation system is modern and efficient, with a road system that is well developed by regional standards. Roads total 4,450
kilometers (2,765
mile mi), of which 81 % are paved and 350 kilometers (217 mi) are freeways, with most people traveling by automobile. The network consists of over 250 bridges. Many of these bridges, however, are of surprisingly poor quality. There is no railway system in Kuwait although public and private bus systems are operated. An international airport is located in the southern outskirts of the Kuwait city metropolitan area and
Kuwait Airways is the national airline owned by the government. The country has three modern seaports, one of which specializes in oil exports.
Mass media
Kuwait has 8 TV channels (4 controlled by the Ministry of Information), 2 modern English FM stations, mostly targeting the Westerners residing in Kuwait (one playing latest Western pop music and hits, while the other one playing Jazz, Blues and other light music), a few Arabic radio stations, 5 daily newspapers published in Arabic, and 3 daily newspapers published in English (
Arab Times &
Kuwait Times). The newspapers exercise self-censorship. No newspaper is permitted to criticize the executive authority, however criticizing other member of the royal family is permitted. All newspapers in Kuwait were established with a "princely decree". For the past 30 years there have been demands to allow the establishment of other newspapers, but with no response from government.
Also there is one private radio station (Marina FM) named after the shopping complex of the same name,
Marina World.
Culture
{{main|Culture of Kuwait}}
*
Music of Kuwait
Miscellaneous topics
*
Communications in Kuwait
*
Foreign relations of Kuwait
*
Geography of Kuwait
*
List of Kuwaiti companies
*
Military of Kuwait
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Kuwait
*
Transportation in Kuwait
*
Persian Gulf War
External links
{{sisterlinks|Kuwait}}
-
Official site of Kuwait
-
BBC News Country Profile - ''Kuwait''
-
CIA World Factbook - ''Kuwait''
-
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Kuwait
-
Kuwait Information Portal
-
KuWiki wiki page
-
Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA)
-
Open Directory Project - ''Kuwait'' directory category
-
The Persian Gulf - Kuwait information and history
-
US State Department - ''Kuwait'' includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
-
A brief history of the Souk AlManakh, Kuwait's modern depression
-
Ministry of information
-
The Silk City project - 1001m tall tower as a centerpiece
{{Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf}}
{{Southwest_Asia}}
{{Middle_East}}
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{| id="toc" style="margin: 0 2em 0 2em;" align="center"
! style="background:#ccccff" align="center" width="100%" |
Governorates of Kuwait Governorates of
Kuwait .html">Image:Flag of Kuwait.svg
50px|Flag of the Kuwait
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" |
Al Ahmadi .html">Al Farwaniyah
Al Asimah |
Al Jahra .html">Hawalli
_Mubarak Al-Kabeer
|}
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