Compare West Bank (2008) - Kuwait (2005)

Compare West Bank (2008) z Kuwait (2005)

	West Bank (2008)	Kuwait (2005)

Administrative divisions	-	5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli
Age structure	0-14 years: 42.4% (male 551,243/female 524,800) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 704,209/female 670,382) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 36,175/female 49,118) (2007 est.)	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.)
Agriculture - products	olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products	practically no crops; fish
Airports	3 (2007)	7 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967	total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Delaware	slightly smaller than New Jersey
Background	The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.	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.
Birth rate	30.99 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	21.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $1.149 billion expenditures: $2.31 billion note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)	revenues: $35.82 billion expenditures: $19.53 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	-	Kuwait
Climate	temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters	dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	499 km
Constitution	-	approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank	conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt
Death rate	3.85 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	2.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$15.02 billion (2004 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	West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region	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	$1.4 billion; (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)	NA (2001)
Economy - overview	The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Authority (PA) - has experienced a general decline in economic conditions since the second intifada began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely a result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of closures and access restrictions in response to security concerns in Israel - which disrupted labor and trading relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. International aid of at least $1.14 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities - due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally - stymied growth. Israel's and the international community's financial embargo of the PA when HAMAS ran the PA during March 2006 - June 2007 has interrupted the provision of PA social services and the payment of PA salaries. Since June the Fayyad government in the West Bank has restarted salary payments and the provision of services but would be unable to operate absent high levels of international assistance.	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.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	30.16 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	NA kWh	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants	32.43 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m
Environment - current issues	adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment	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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping
Ethnic groups	Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%	Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
Exchange rates	new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)	Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001), 0.3068 (2000)
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
Exports	$301 million f.o.b.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)	1.97 million bbl/day (2003)
Exports - commodities	olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone	oil and refined products, fertilizers
Exports - partners	Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)	Japan 20.5%, South Korea 13.7%, US 12.4%, Singapore 11.3%, Taiwan 9.9% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
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
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 8% industry: 13% services: 79% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)	agriculture: 0.4% industry: 60.5% services: 39.1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-8% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)	6.8% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	32 00 N, 35 15 E	29 30 N, 45 45 E
Geography - note	landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.)	strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
Heliports	-	3 (2004 est.)
Highways	-	total: 4,450 km paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)	NA
Imports - commodities	food, consumer goods, construction materials	food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
Imports - partners	Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)	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)
Independence	-	19 June 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	2.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)	-5% (2002 est.)
Industries	generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers	petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials
Infant mortality rate	total: 18.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006)	2.3% (2004 est.)
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
Irrigated land	150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)	60 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	High Court of Appeal
Labor force	605,000 (2006)	1.42 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 18% industry: 15% services: 67% (2006)	agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA
Land boundaries	total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km	total: 462 km border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Land use	arable land: 16.9% permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001)	arable land: 0.73% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 99.16% (2001)
Languages	Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)	Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Legal system	-	civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 73.46 years male: 71.68 years female: 75.35 years (2007 est.)	total population: 77.03 years male: 76.01 years female: 78.1 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.4% male: 96.7% female: 88% (2004 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
Location	Middle East, west of Jordan	Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Map references	Middle East	Middle East
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	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)
Military branches	-	Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense Force), National Guard (2002)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$2,584.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	5.3% (2004)
National holiday	-	National Day, 25 February (1950)
Nationality	noun: NA adjective: NA	noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti
Natural hazards	droughts	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	arable land	petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Net migration rate	2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	14.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	-	none; formation of political parties is illegal
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
Population	2,535,927 note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)	2,335,648 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	46% (2007 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	2.985% (2007 est.)	3.44% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud
Radio broadcast stations	AM 0, FM 25, shortwave 0 (2008)	AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
Religions	Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%	Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.736 male(s)/female total population: 1.038 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	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.)
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
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 (2004)	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
Telephones - main lines in use	349,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)	486,900 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)	1.42 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	30 (2008)	13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east	flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Total fertility rate	4.17 children born/woman (2007 est.)	2.97 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	18.6% (2006)	2.2% (2004 est.)

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