Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
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Geographic coordinates:
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29 30 N, 45 45 E
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Map references:
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Middle East
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Area:
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total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than New Jersey
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Land boundaries:
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total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
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Coastline:
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499 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate:
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dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
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Terrain:
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flat to slightly undulating desert plain
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.84%
permanent crops: 0.17%
other: 98.99% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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130 sq km (2003)
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Natural hazards:
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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
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
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Population:
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2,418,393
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)
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Age structure:
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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.)
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Median age:
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total: 25.9 years
male: 28 years
female: 22.3 years (2006 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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3.52%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2006 est.)
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Birth rate:
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21.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Death rate:
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2.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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15.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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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.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.2 years
male: 76.13 years
female: 78.31 years (2006 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.12% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti
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Ethnic groups:
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Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
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Religions:
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Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), English widely spoken
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%
male: 85.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
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Government type:
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constitutional hereditary emirate
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Capital:
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Kuwait
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Administrative divisions:
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6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir
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Independence:
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19 June 1961 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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National Day, 25 February (1950)
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Constitution:
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approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
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Legal system:
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civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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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
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Executive branch:
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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 Muhammad Dhayfallah SHARAR (since 2003)
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
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Legislative branch:
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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
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Judicial branch:
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High Court of Appeal
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Political parties and leaders:
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none; formation of political parties is illegal
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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) 364-2868
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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, 259-1002
FAX: [965] 259-1438, 538-0282
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$53.31 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$55.8 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.6% (2005 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$22,800 (2005 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.5%
industry: 52.1%
services: 47.4% (2005 est.)
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Labor force:
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1.67 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2005 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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Unemployment rate:
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2.2% (2004 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.5% (2005 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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6.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $47.21 billion
expenditures: $20.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
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Public debt:
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17.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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practically no crops; fish
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Industries:
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petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-5% (2002 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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38.19 billion kWh (2003)
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Electricity - consumption:
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35.52 billion kWh (2003)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2003)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2003)
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Oil - production:
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2.418 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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305,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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1.97 million bbl/day (2003)
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day
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Oil - proved reserves:
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96.5 billion bbl (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2002 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2002 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.572 trillion cu m (2005)
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Current account balance:
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$31.51 billion (2005 est.)
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Exports:
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$44.43 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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oil and refined products, fertilizers
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 20.5%, South Korea 13.6%, US 12.4%, Singapore 11.2%, Taiwan 9.9% (2004)
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Imports:
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$12.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
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Imports - partners:
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US 12.9%, Germany 12%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Italy 5%, France 4.5%, China 4.1% (2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$9.296 billion (2005 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$14.93 billion (2005 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA (2001)
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Currency (code):
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Kuwaiti dinar (KD)
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Exchange rates:
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Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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497,000 (2004)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2 million (2004)
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Telephone system:
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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
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
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Television broadcast stations:
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13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.kw
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Internet hosts:
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2,439 (2005)
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Internet users:
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600,000 (2005)
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Airports:
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7 (2005)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2005)
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Heliports:
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4 (2005)
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Pipelines:
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gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004)
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Roadways:
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total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,587 km
unpaved: 863 km (1999)
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Merchant marine:
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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)
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Ports and terminals:
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Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi
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Disputes - international:
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Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf
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This page was last updated on 16 May, 2006
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