Norfolk Island (2005) | Kuwait (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 340,814/female 328,663)
15-64 years: 70.5% (male 1,128,231/female 636,967) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 44,542/female 26,342) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry | practically no crops; fish |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 7 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Area | total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
Background | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. | 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 AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991, and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive. |
Birth rate | NA | 21.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00) |
revenues: $66.92 billion
expenditures: $36.39 billion (2007 est.) |
Capital | Kingston | name: Kuwait
geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters |
Coastline | 32 km | 499 km |
Constitution | Norfolk Island Act of 1979 | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt |
Death rate | NA | 2.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | $33.61 billion (31 December 2007 est.) |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Alan MISENHEIMER
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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517 |
Disputes - international | none | Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $2.6 million (2004) |
Economy - overview | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. | Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 104 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. High oil prices in recent years have helped build Kuwait's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. As a result of this positive fiscal situation, the need for economic reforms is less urgent and the government has not earnestly pushed through new initiatives. Despite its vast oil reserves, Kuwait experienced power outages during the summer months in 2006 and 2007 because demand exceeded power generating capacity. Power outages are likely to worsen, given its high population growth rates, unless the government can increase generating capacity. In May 2007 Kuwait changed its currency peg from the US dollar to a basket of currencies in order to curb inflation and to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 36.28 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 41.11 billion kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | 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 |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping |
Ethnic groups | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)
head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% |
chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
head of government: Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 3 April 2007); 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 Faysal al-HAJJI (since 5 April 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir elections: none; the amir is hereditary; the amir appoints the prime minister and deputy prime ministers |
Exports | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY99/00) | 2.2 million bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados | oil and refined products, fertilizers |
Exports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | Japan 20.4%, South Korea 16.2%, Taiwan 10.8%, Singapore 9.7%, US 9%, Netherlands 5.3%, China 4.1% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band | 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 |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 54.7% services: 44.9% (2007 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - NA | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | 5.6% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 29 02 S, 167 57 E | 29 30 N, 45 45 E |
Geography - note | most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated | strategic location at head of Persian Gulf |
Heliports | - | 4 (2007) |
Highways | total: 80 km
paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2001) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) | 2,611 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | NA | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing |
Imports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | US 14.1%, Germany 7.9%, Japan 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.8%, China 5.7%, UK 5.4%, Italy 4.6% (2006) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 19 June 1961 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 0.8% (2007 est.) |
Industries | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete | petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 9.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | 3.9% (2007 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU | 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, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Irrigated land | NA | 130 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions | High Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 1,345 | 1.167 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2007 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | tourism 90%, subsistence agriculture 10% | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 0.84%
permanent crops: 0.17% other: 98.99% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian | Arabic (official), English widely spoken |
Legal system | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law | civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; all cabinet ministers are also ex officio voting members of the National Assembly)
elections: last held 29 June 2006 (next election to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats by bloc - Islamic Bloc (Sunni) 17, Popular Bloc 9, National Action Bloc (liberals) 8, independents 16 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 77.36 years
male: 76.25 years female: 78.52 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.3% male: 94.4% female: 91% (2005 census) |
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia |
Map references | Oceania | Middle East |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,195,831 GRT/3,566,308 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 1, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 6, UAE 8) (2007) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | - |
Military branches | - | Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 5.3% (2006) |
National holiday | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) | National Day, 25 February (1950) |
Nationality | noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti |
Natural hazards | typhoons (especially May to July) | 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 |
Natural resources | fish | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas |
Net migration rate | NA | 16.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2007) |
Political parties and leaders | none | none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal, but is not forbidden by law |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | 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, secular liberals and pro-government deputies; in mid-2006, a coalition of Islamists, liberals, and Shia campaigned successfully for electoral reform to reduce corruption |
Population | 1,828 (July 2005 est.) | 2,505,559
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.01% (2005 est.) | 3.561%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) | AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Religions | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) | Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15% |
Sex ratio | NA | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.037 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.771 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.691 male(s)/female total population: 1.526 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA years of age; universal (adult); note - males in the military or police are not allowed to vote; adult females were allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
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; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) | 510,300 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) | 2.536 million (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) | 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains | flat to slightly undulating desert plain |
Total fertility rate | NA | 2.86 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% | 2.2% (2004 est.) |