Kuwait
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| دولة الكويت Dawlat al-Kuwayt State of Kuwait
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| Anthem Al-Nasheed Al-Watani |
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Kuwait City |
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| Official languages | Arabic | |||||
| Demonym | Kuwaiti | |||||
| Government | Constitutional hereditary emirate1 | |||||
| - | Emir | Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | ||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | from the UK | June 19, 1961 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 17,818 km² (157th) 6,880 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | negligible | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2006 estimate | 3,100,000² (n/a) | ||||
| - | Density | 131 /km² (68th) 339 /sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $88,7 billion (n/a) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $29,566 (n/a) | ||||
| HDI (2004) |  0.871 (high) (33rd) |
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| Currency | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) |
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| Time zone | AST (UTC+3) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | (not observed) (UTC+3) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .kw | |||||
| Calling code | +965 | |||||
| 1 | Nominal. | |||||
| 2 | Figure includes approximately two million non-nationals (2005 estimate). | |||||
The State of Kuwait (Arabic: الكويت ) is a small constitutional monarchy on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water."[citation needed]
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[edit] History
The history of Kuwait goes back to the year 1613 CE.[1] The country was formed when several clans from different Middle Eastern tribes settled near the area now known as the "Kuwait Bay". The word Kuwait came from the small Kout (or castle) of Bin Eree'er who was the prince of Bani Khaled tribe.[citation needed] Tribes came mainly from central Arabia (specifically the region of Nejd), and northern Arabia. Today, Nejd is part of Saudi Arabia, while northern Arabia is divided between the modern states of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. However, some clans also came from other parts of the region, including Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.[citation needed]
The current rulers of the country (the Al-Sabah family) are descended from Sabah I, who was chosen by the community, which was composed mainly of traders. The duties of the rulers include administering the affairs of the State, including foreign affairs and taxation/duties. However, the ruler/Emir has little political role in modern governments due to the influence of State Prime Ministers.
The Al-Sabah family was chosen by the people of Kuwait.[citation needed] This process is known as "mubaya'a", which means "to give one's self" in Arabic. Before the Kuwaiti constitution was drafted, the Al-Sabah family ruled Kuwait in practice (de facto). Anyone else had the ability to be appointed as ruler of Kuwait, as long as the majority of citizens wanted them.
The area that is now Kuwait was occupied by tribes and used for spice trading from India.[citation needed] By the eighteenth century, most of the local people made a living selling pearls. But as pearl farming developed in Japan during the 1930s, the Kuwaiti market diminished.
During the 18th century, Qurain (the small horn) which is the old name of Kuwait was protected by Bani Khaled Tribe.[clarify]
In the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, the British concurred with the Ottoman Empire in defining Kuwait as an "autonomous caza"[citation needed] of the Ottoman Empire and that the Sheikhs of Kuwait were not independent leaders, but rather qaimmaqams (provincial sub-governors)[citation needed] of the Ottoman government. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire was financially crippled and the invading British forces invalidated the Anglo-Ottoman Convention, declaring Kuwait to be an "independent sheikdom under British protectorate."
Oil later transformed Kuwait into one of the richest countries in the Arab peninsula and in 1953 the country became the largest exporter of oil in the Persian Gulf. This massive growth attracted many immigrant labourers and foreign workers. Having amassed great wealth, Kuwait was the first of the Persian Gulf Arab states to achieve independence, on June 19, 1961. Its independence was challenged by Iraq which claimed that Kuwait was an integral part of Iraqi territory. It threatened to invade Kuwait but was deterred by the British, who flew in troops, and the Arab League. In October 1963 Iraq recognized Kuwait's independence and its borders.[citation needed]
An important period in Kuwait's political, social and economic development was the Souk Al-Manakh stock market crash of 1982. This was a major crash that had widespread consequences and has endured in the public memory even decades later.[citation needed]
After being allied with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War until its end in 1988 (Kuwait paid Iraq to protect it from what it perceived to be a threat posed by 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 the "economic warfare" that Kuwait (with the help of the United States of America) had waged through slant drilling into oil supplies under Iraqi territories. Hussein deposed the monarchy after the annexation and installed a new Kuwaiti governor. The new governor was Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in gassing thousands of Kurdish civilians in Halabja in 1988.[citation needed]
The United States and United Kingdom-led coalition of thirty-four nations fought the Persian Gulf War to remove Saddam's control from Kuwait. After six weeks of fierce fighting in early 1991, the coalition forced Iraq to withdraw its troops from Kuwait on February 26, 1991. During their retreat, the Iraqi armed forces carried out a scorched earth policy by setting fire to Kuwaiti oil wells or releasing oil from those wells into the Persian Gulf. The fires took more than nine months to extinguish fully and the cost of repairs to the oil infrastructure exceeded $5.12 billion. Certain buildings and infrastructural facilities (including Kuwait International Airport) were also severely damaged during the war. Kuwait remains under the governance of the Emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006)[clarify] as an independent state and is of strategic importance to the United States.
[edit] Politics
Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy and has the oldest directly elected parliament of the Persian Gulf Arab countries.[citation needed] The head of state is the Emir or Sheikh, a hereditary office. 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 elected member of the parliament. The number of ministers must not exceed one-third 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 constitutional procedures. According to the constitution, nomination of a new crown prince or head of state (Emir) by the ruling family has to be confirmed by the National Assembly. If he does not win the votes of an absolute majority of the assembly, the Emir (or the royal family members) must submit the names of three candidates to the National Assembly, and the Assembly must select one of these to be the new crown prince. The parliament known as the Majlis Al-Umma (National Assembly), consists of fifty elected 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, and can number up to fifteen.
Prior to 2005 , only 15% of the Kuwaiti citizen population was allowed to vote, with all women, "recently naturalized" citizens (i.e. those of less than thirty years' citizenship), and members of the armed forces excluded. On May 16, 2005, Parliament permitted women's suffrage by a 35-23 vote, subject to official interpretation of Islamic law and effective for the 2006 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 major breakthrough in Kuwaiti political system and it makes Kuwait the third country in the conservative Persian Gulf Arab monarchies to have a woman cabinet minister. On the other hand, the government has managed to pass laws in the years 2005-2006 that restrict the freedom of speech. Laws such as the new media law, has become a huge obstacle for writers and citizens who might consider criticizing the government's performance. Lately there have been many newspaper writers sent to court for stating their opinions regarding the government or specific ministries' performance including a court order to shut down a leading Kuwaiti newspaper AlWatan for three days[citation needed] and a magazine editor being sent to jail for criticizing the government action towards a specific incident.[citation needed]
- See also: Al-Sabah and Elections in Kuwait
[edit] Geography and climate
Kuwait consists mostly of desert and little difference in elevation. It has nine islands, the largest of which is Bubiyan, which is linked to the mainland by a concrete bridge. (Following Kuwait's liberation in 1991, the island was converted to a military base from which civilians are barred.) The islands are:
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Summers (April to October) are extremely hot and dry with temperatures exceeding 51 °C (124 °F) in Kuwait City several times during the hottest months of June, July and August.[citation needed] April and October are more moderate with temperatures over 40 °C uncommon . Winters (November through February) are cool with some precipitation and average temperatures around 13 °C (56 °F) with extremes from -2 °C to 27 °C. The spring season (March) is warm and pleasant with occasional thunderstorms. Surface coastal water temperatures range from 15 °C (59 °F) in February to 35 °C (95 °F) in August.
The driest months are June through September, while the wettest are January through March. Thunderstorms and hailstorms are common in November, March and April when warm and moist Persian Gulf air collides with cold air masses from Europe. One such thunderstorm in November 1997 dumped more than ten inches of rain on Kuwait.[citation needed]
[edit] Governorates
Kuwait is divided into six governorates (muhafazat, sing. muhafadhah):
The major cities are the capital Kuwait City and Jahrah (a thirty-minute drive northwest of Kuwait City). The main residential and business areas are Salmiya and Hawalli. The main industrial area is Shuwaikh within the Al Asimah Governorate. The main palace is the As-Seef Palace in the old part of Kuwait City where the Emir runs the daily matters of the country whilst the government headquarters are in the Bayan Palace and the Emir lives in Dar Salwa.
[edit] Economy
Kuwait is a highly industrialized country with a GDP (PPP) of US$ 88.7 billion[citation needed] and a per capita income of US$ 29,566.[citation needed] Kuwait's human development index (HDI) stands at 0.871, the second highest in Middle East and the highest in the Arab world. Kuwait has a proven crude oil reserves of 96 billion barrels (15 km³), estimated to be 10% of the world's reserves.[citation needed]Petroleum and petrochemicals accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Other major industries include shipping, construction and financial services. 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. 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 post-war reconstruction placed a heavy economic burden on the country, but by the mid-1990s Kuwait had resumed its pre-invasion prosperity. The Central Bank of Kuwait issues Kuwait’s currency, the Kuwaiti dinar. The dinar is currently the highest valued currency unit in the world.[citation needed] Major trading partners include Japan, United States, People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and India.[citation needed]
[edit] Oil industry
Since the government owns the oil industry, it controls most of the country's 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 – and on 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.[citation needed]
Kuwait's chief oil companies are:
- Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)
- Holding group responsible for international marketing.
- Kuwait Oil Company (KOC)
- Crude oil exploration and development company.
- Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)
- Runs oil refineries across Kuwait.
- Petrochemicals Industries Company (PIC)
- Petrochemical and fertilizer manufacturer.
- Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI, also known as "Q8")
- Runs refining and marketing business overseas.
- Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC)
- International oil exploration company.
- Equate petrochemical company (EQUATE)
- A petrochemical company formed by PIC and Dow Chemical.
- Petroleum Training Centre (PTC)
- Responsible for all training and career development within the KPC companies.
- Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC)
- Crude oil shipping
- Kuwait Aviation Fueling Company (KAFCO)
- Aircraft fuel
- Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC)
- Oil and gas exploration and production in the Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone; joint venture with Saudi Arabia.
- Oil Sector Services Company (OSSC)
- Handles all construction projects, maintenance, security, fire-fighting, and medical services to all oil sector employees and their families.
- Oil Development Company (ODC)
[edit] Demographics
As of 2007, Kuwait's current population is estimated to be roughly 3 to 3.5 million people which included approximately 2 million non-nationals.[2] Kuwaiti citizens are therefore 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 word meaning "without" and distinct from "Bedouin"),[citation needed] along with many other Arabs. Other large groups of expatriates include Assyrians, Egyptians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Filipinos. In 2003, more than 400,000 Indian nationals lived in Kuwait,[3] making them the largest expatriate community there.[4] In the mid-1980s, there were approximately 12,000 ethnic Armenians in Kuwait. A mass exodus during the Gulf War shrank the Armenian population, which today consists of roughly 5,000 ethnic Armenians.[5] Kuwait formerly had a large Palestinian population, though most of them were forced out of the country after PLO leader Yassir Arafat's support for Iraq during the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.
Of Kuwait's citizen population, 60-65% are Arab, 30-35% are Persian, and 5-10% are designated as "others".[citation needed] "Others" mostly includes Africans, East Asians, or Europeans. The Kuwaiti government does not collect racial demographics in its census, and civil IDs have no form of racial or ethnic identification.
Some Arabs of Persian ancestry are generally socially-classed as "Ajami",[citation needed] although the Persian population has been declining due to low birth rates, interracial marriages, and an influx of Arabs into the country by naturalization. It is estimated that the population percentage of Arabs of Persian ancestry (and other Ajamis) might decrease by 5-10% within the next decade.[citation needed]
85% of Kuwait's population practice Islam. However, there are large communities of Christians (est. 300,000 to 400,000), Hindus (est. 300,000), Buddhists (est. 100,000), and Sikhs (est. 10,000).[6] Of the Muslims in Kuwait. 70% are Sunni and 30% are Shia Muslims.[7]
Kuwait's official language is Arabic, though English is widely spoken. Other important languages include , Hindi, Urdu, Filipino, and Bengali.
[edit] Infrastructure
Kuwait's infrastructure was severely damaged during the First Gulf War. Fleeing Iraqi soldiers were also ordered to set hundreds of oil wells on fire and the country's oil production had come to standstill. Much has changed since the end of the Gulf War. The Kuwaiti government has spent billions of dollars to construct an elaborate roadway system, and, the telecommunication industry achieved an incredible growth rate. Kuwait City boasts more than two dozen five-star hotels and resorts and several skyscrapers dominate the city's skyline. Kuwait Infrastructure Maintenance Management System overlooks the oil-rich country's infrastructure. Kuwait's energy sector is the main source for 47% of the country's annual income.[citation needed]
Kuwait has several major infrastructure projects planned, including one of the biggest seafront projects in the world, Madinat al-Hareer.[citation needed] If completed, this project would include the world's tallest tower, and, numerous housing, health, education, environmental, business, and tourism centres. Other major projects are the development of a deep-water port on Bubiyan Island, which could become a gateway for trade into Iraq and western Iran.[citation needed] However, political tension between the National Assembly and the government has severely delayed and hampered the approval and development of most infrastructure projects.
[edit] 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 mi), of which 81% are paved and 350 kilometers (217 mi) are freeways. The network includes over 250 bridges. Most people travel by automobile.
There is no railway system in Kuwait, however the government announced plans to construct an underground metro in an effort to ease traffic congestion.[citation needed] An international airport is located in the southern outskirts of the Kuwait city metropolitan area. The government is working on plans to expand the airport, and, eventually increase it's capacity to 55 million passengers per annum.[citation needed] Kuwait Airways is the national airline, owned by the government. In 2004 Kuwait allowed the first privately owned airline, Jazeera Airways, to base itself in and operate out of the country. Jazeera Airways is a "no-frills" low cost carrier. Another private airline, Wataniya Airways, has been granted the license to operate.[citation needed] The country’s main commercial seaports are Shuwaikh and Shuaiba, and Mina Al Ahmadi which specializes in oil exports. There are plans for another major seaport to be built on the country's larger island, Bubiyan.
[edit] Education
Oil revenues have allowed Kuwait to build an extensive educational system, yielding a literacy rate of 90 percent. There are a lot of private schools in Kuwait, including The English School, [8] which was the first private school to open in Kuwait. Other private schools include the Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School (Delhi Public School), Jabriya Indian School, Indian Community School, Al-Bayan Bilingual School, Carmel School, The British School of Kuwait, Kuwait English School, The Gulf English School, The American School of Kuwait, American International School, American Creativity Academy, The New English School. All private schools offer different and competitive programs, and whilst each school strives to be the best at private education, different parents and expatriates prefer different private schools naturally. Public schooling is free and compulsory from the age of 5 to 18, and several private schools also teach this age group. Kuwait University is Kuwait's only public university. The medical school, in particular, provides up-to-date training for students.[citation needed] Both the extensive library system at Kuwait University and the collection at Kuwait National Museum (1957) were heavily damaged and looted during the Iraqi occupation in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Other universities in Kuwait include the American University of Kuwait, the Gulf University for Science and Technology, the Australian College of Kuwait and the Arab Open University (AOU).
The Gulf University for Science and Technology was the first private university established in Kuwait in 2002. It currently has two campuses in Hawalli and will open a third campus in Mishref where the Australian College of Kuwait is also located. The American University of Kuwait and the Australian College of Kuwait both opened in 2004 and there are more universities and colleges being planned. Boxhill, an Australian women's college, will open its doors in autumn 2007.[citation needed]
[edit] Culture
[edit] Media
Kuwait has ten TV channels (four controlled by the Ministry of Information); two modern English FM stations (mostly targeting Westerners residing in Kuwait, one playing current pop music while the other plays jazz and other light music); a few Arabic radio stations; Radio Kuwait also offers daily informative programming in four foreign languages including Persian, Urdu, Tagalog and English on the AM and SW targeting listeners who speak these languages residing in Kuwait and abroad, eight daily newspapers published in Arabic; and three daily newspapers published in English (including the Arab Times, Kuwait Times and The Daily Star). The newspapers exercise self-censorship.[citation needed] Although no newspaper is permitted to criticize the Emir and the Crown Prince, the criticism of other members of the ruling family is permitted. A new publishing law passed by the National Assembly in 2006 allows for the establishment of new newspapers; these had been limited to five for the past 30 years.
There is also one private radio station, Marina FM, named after the shopping complex "Marina Mall", which has gained notoriety all over the countries of the Persian Gulf for its flirtatious visitors.[9][citation needed]
Some private TV channels: Al-Rai and Al-Watan from respective newspapers of the same name, Al-Anwar a Shia channel, Al-Adaala, Al-Fonon, Flash.
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
- ^ Kuwait Information Office, New Delhi, India. Kuwait's History. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Arab Times Online. Kuwait population hits 2.992m; Citizens up in number, down in percentage. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ The Hindu: Business Line. Special flight from Kuwait lands in Kochi. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Kuwait Information Office, New Delhi, India. Kuwait Embassy Office, New Delhi, India, Services. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Armenian General Benevolent Union. The Armenians of Kuwait: Rebuilding after the Gulf War. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ U.S. Department of State. Kuwait: International Religious Freedom Report 2006. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Central Intelligence Agency, USA. Kuwait. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ The English School, Kuwait. Welcome. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Marcinko, Richard (1998). Seal Force Alpha, 1st edition, Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671000675.
[edit] External links
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- Kuwait Yellow Pages Guide - Business Directory
- Kuwait Business Directory
- Official site of Kuwait
- BBC News Country Profile - Kuwait
- CIA World Factbook - Kuwait
- Kuwait Information Guide
- Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological Mission (KSAM)
- Equate petrochemical company
- Al-Diwan Al-Amiri (H.H. The Amir's Office), State of Kuwait
- Kuwait Health - Promoting health reform
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Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007 | Wikipedia articles needing clarification | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Kuwait | Arab League member states | CCASG members | Arabic-speaking countries | Middle Eastern countries | Emirates
