Kuwait

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.

• dry desert;
• intensely hot summers;
• short, cool winters

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Dumping

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.)

noun:

Kuwaiti(s)

adjective:

Kuwaiti

conventional long form:

State of Kuwait

conventional short form:

Kuwait

local long form:

Dawlat al Kuwayt

local short form:

Al Kuwayt

name:

Kuwait

geographic coordinates:

29 20 N, 47 59 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah

head of government:

• Prime Minister NASIR al-Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 7 February 2006) First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006);
• Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Ismail al-SHATTI (since 10 July 2006)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir

elections:

• none;
• the amir is hereditary;
• prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the amir

• a number of political groups act as de facto parties;
• several legislative blocs operate in the National Assembly: tribal groups, merchants, Shi'a activists, Islamists, and secular liberals

chief of mission:

Ambassador SALIM Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah

chancery:

2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 966-0702

FAX:

[1] (202) 966-0517

chief of mission:

Ambassador Richard LEBARON

embassy:

Bayan 36302, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City

mailing address:

P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000

telephone:

[965] 259-1001

FAX:

[965] 538-0282

• three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side;
• design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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

total:

4,450 km

paved:

3,587 km

unpaved:

863 km (1999)

total:

38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,424,983 GRT/3,996,755 DWT

by type:

bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, petroleum tanker 21

registered in other countries:

28 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 5, UAE 8) (2006)

• 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
• 1 month annual training to age 40;
• women have served in police forces since 1999 (2001)

males age 18-49:

864,745

females age 18-49:

467,120 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

737,292

females age 18-49:

405,207 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

18,743

females age 18-49:

20,065 (2005 est.)

current situation:

• Kuwait is a destination country for men and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement;
• Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq;
• some of these workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Iraq;
• in past years, Kuwait was also a destination country for children exploited as camel jockeys, but this form of trafficking appears to have ceased

tier rating:

Tier 2 Watch List - Kuwait is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List because its efforts are based largely on pledges of future actions