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Compare Kuwait (2005) - United States (2001)

Compare Kuwait (2005) z United States (2001)

 Kuwait (2005)United States (2001)
 KuwaitUnited States
Administrative divisions 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Age structure 0-14 years: 27.2% (male 323,382/female 311,700)


15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,045,589/female 591,243)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 40,439/female 23,295) (2005 est.)
0-14 years:
21.12% (male 30,034,674; female 28,681,253)

15-64 years:
66.27% (male 91,371,753; female 92,907,199)

65 years and over:
12.61% (male 14,608,948; female 20,455,054) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products practically no crops; fish wheat, other grains, corn, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish
Airports 7 (2004 est.) 14,720 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total:
5,174

over 3,047 m:
182

2,438 to 3,047 m:
220

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1,331

914 to 1,523 m:
2,440

under 914 m:
1,001 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total:
9,546

over 3,047 m:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
6

1,524 to 2,437 m:
164

914 to 1,523 m:
1,675

under 914 m:
7,698 (2000 est.)
Area total: 17,820 sq km


land: 17,820 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total:
9,629,091 sq km

land:
9,158,960 sq km

water:
470,131 sq km

note:
includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area - comparative slightly smaller than New Jersey about one-half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe
Background 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. The United States became the world's first modern democracy after its break with Great Britain (1776) and the adoption of a constitution (1789). During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation-state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Birth rate 21.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.2 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $35.82 billion


expenditures: $19.53 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues:
$1.828 trillion

expenditures:
$1.703 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
Capital Kuwait Washington, DC
Climate dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Coastline 499 km 19,924 km
Constitution approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Country name conventional long form: State of Kuwait


conventional short form: Kuwait


local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt


local short form: Al Kuwayt
conventional long form:
United States of America

conventional short form:
United States

abbreviation:
US or USA
Currency - US dollar (USD)
Death rate 2.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $15.02 billion (2004 est.) $862 billion (1995 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON


embassy: Bayan, 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] 539-5307, 5308


FAX: [965] 538-0282
-
Diplomatic representation in the US 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
-
Disputes - international Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island); US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)
Economic aid - recipient NA (2001) -
Economy - overview Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved 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. The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $36,200. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and government buys needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy considerably greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, lay off surplus workers, and develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment, although their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs of an aging population, sizable trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. Growth weakened in the fourth quarter of 2000; growth for the year 2001 almost certainly will be substantially lower than the strong 5% of 2000. The outlook for 2001 is further clouded by the continued economic problems of Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, and many other countries.
Electricity - consumption 30.16 billion kWh (2002) 3.45 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 14 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 43 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 32.43 billion kWh (2002) 3.678 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
69.64%

hydro:
8.31%

nuclear:
19.8%

other:
2.25% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m


highest point: unnamed location 306 m
lowest point:
Death Valley -86 m

highest point:
Mount McKinley 6,194 m
Environment - current issues 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 air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Environment - international agreements 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
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Ethnic groups Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% white 83.5%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Amerindian 0.8% (1992)

note:
a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)
Exchange rates Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001), 0.3068 (2000) British pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.5032 (January 2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996); French francs per US dollar - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994); Italian lire per US dollar - 1,668.7 (January 1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994); Japanese yen per US dollar - 117.10 (January 2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996); German deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994); euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999)

note:
financial institutions in France, Italy, and Germany and eight other European countries started using the euro on 1 January 1999 with the euro replacing the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Executive branch chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 31 December 1977); Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah


head of government: Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior NAWWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch
chief of state:
President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval

elections:
president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)

election results:
George W. BUSH elected president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican Party) 48%, Albert A. GORE, Jr. (Democratic Party) 48%, Ralph NADER (Green Party) 3%, other 1%
Exports 1.97 million bbl/day (2003) $776 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities oil and refined products, fertilizers capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
Exports - partners Japan 20.5%, South Korea 13.7%, US 12.4%, Singapore 11.3%, Taiwan 9.9% (2004) Canada 23%, Mexico 14%, Japan 8%, UK 5%, Germany 4%, France, Netherlands (2000)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 October - 30 September
Flag description 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 thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.963 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 0.4%


industry: 60.5%


services: 39.1% (2004 est.)
agriculture:
2%

industry:
18%

services:
80% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $36,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.8% (2004 est.) 5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 29 30 N, 45 45 E 38 00 N, 97 00 W
Geography - note strategic location at head of Persian Gulf world's third-largest country (after Russia and Canada)
Heliports 3 (2004 est.) 131 (2000 est.)
Highways total: 4,450 km


paved: 3,587 km


unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.)
total:
6,370,031 km

paved:
5,733,028 km (including 74,091 km of expressways)

unpaved:
637,003 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%:
1.8%

highest 10%:
30.5% (1997)
Illicit drugs - consumer of cocaine shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean; consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamine from Mexico; consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center
Imports NA $1.223 trillion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
Imports - partners US 12.9%, Germany 11.9%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Italy 5%, France 4.5%, China 4.1% (2004) Canada 19%, Japan 11%, Mexico 11%, China 8%, Germany 5%, UK, Taiwan (2000)
Independence 19 June 1961 (from UK) 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
Industrial production growth rate -5% (2002 est.) 5.6% (2000 est.)
Industries petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining
Infant mortality rate total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 10.96 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
6.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.3% (2004 est.) 3.4% (2000)
International organization participation 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, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 7,800 (2000 est.)
Irrigated land 60 sq km (1998 est.) 207,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch High Court of Appeal Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for life by the president with confirmation by the Senate); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts
Labor force 1.42 million


note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2004 est.)
140.9 million (includes unemployed) (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA managerial and professional 30.2%, technical, sales and administrative support 29.2%, services 13.5%, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and crafts 24.6%, farming, forestry, and fishing 2.5% (2000)

note:
figures exclude the unemployed
Land boundaries total: 462 km


border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
total:
12,248 km

border countries:
Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Cuba 29 km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km

note:
Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba
Land use arable land: 0.73%


permanent crops: 0.11%


other: 99.16% (2001)
arable land:
19%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
25%

forests and woodland:
30%

other:
26% (1993 est.)
Languages Arabic (official), English widely spoken English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Legal system civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch 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 NA 2007)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly
bicameral Congress consists of Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 4 November 2002); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 4 November 2002)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 50, Democratic Party 50; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 221, Democratic Party 211, independent 2, vacant 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.03 years


male: 76.01 years


female: 78.1 years (2005 est.)
total population:
77.26 years

male:
74.37 years

female:
80.05 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83.5%


male: 85.1%


female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
97%

male:
97%

female:
97% (1979 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Map references Middle East North America
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
not specified

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,319,082 GRT/3,768,828 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 3, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20


registered in other countries: 19 (2005)
total:
376 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 10,814,622 GRT/14,416,517 DWT

ships by type:
barge carrier 9, bulk 68, cargo 29, chemical tanker 13, combination bulk 3, container 80, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 98, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 9 (2000 est.)
Military branches Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense Force), National Guard (2002) Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (includes Marine Corps), Department of the Air Force

note:
the Coast Guard is normally subordinate to the Department of Transportation, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
Military expenditures - dollar figure $2,584.5 million (2004) $276.7 billion (FY99 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 5.3% (2004) 3.2% (FY99 est.)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
70,819,436 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - NA
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
2,039,414 (2001 est.)
National holiday National Day, 25 February (1950) Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Nationality noun: Kuwaiti(s)


adjective: Kuwaiti
noun:
American(s)

adjective:
American
Natural hazards 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 tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Natural resources petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
Net migration rate 14.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004) petroleum products 276,000 km; natural gas 331,000 km (1991)
Political parties and leaders none; formation of political parties is illegal Democratic Party [Terence McAULIFFE, national committee chairman]; Republican Party [James S. GILMORE III, national committee chairman]; several other groups or parties of minor political significance
Political pressure groups and leaders several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists NA
Population 2,335,648


note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)
278,058,881 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 12.7% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 3.44%


note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2005 est.)
0.9% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland (Oregon), Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Toledo
Radio broadcast stations AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18 (1998)
Radios - 575 million (1997)
Railways - total:
225,750 km mainline routes

standard gauge:
225,750 km 1.435-m gauge (1999)
Religions Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Sex ratio 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: 1.74 male(s)/female


total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female

total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21


note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time
18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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
general assessment:
a very large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system

domestic:
a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country

international:
24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 486,900 (2003) 194 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.42 million (2003) 69.209 million (1998)
Television broadcast stations 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997)
Terrain flat to slightly undulating desert plain vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Total fertility rate 2.97 children born/woman (2005 est.) 2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.2% (2004 est.) 4% (2000)
Waterways - 41,009 km

note:
navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes
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