General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
17,818 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
464 km |
|
Coastline: |
499 km |
|
Capital: |
Kuwait City |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Al-Jahra, As-Salimiyah,
Hawalli, Al-Ahmady |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) |
|
National Day: |
February 25
|
Location and
Geography
Kuwait is located in
the North-eastern
corner of the
Arabian Peninsula.
It is bordered by
Iraq in the North
and West, Saudi
Arabia in the South
and the Arabian Gulf
in the East. Kuwait
has no mountains or
rivers. The terrain
is flat to slightly
undulated desert
plains. Meadows and
pastures cover only
eight percent of the
area; the rest of
the land is barren.
Kuwait has nine
islands off its
coast, the largest
is Bubiyan. Despite
its desert
conditions, the
country has a rich
plant life. Summers
in Kuwait are
intensely hot and
winters short and
cool. Sand and dust
storms occur
throughout the year.
Demography
|
Population:
|
2.36 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
20 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
3 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
9 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 75 years,
Female: 79 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
96.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
91.50 percent
(2002) |
Economy
The economy of
Kuwait is based
almost exclusively
on oil. The
country’s crude oil
reserves, of about
94 billion barrels,
account for 10
percent of the world
supply. The other
commercial and
economic activities
include water
desalination plants,
oil refineries,
cement, bricks and
concrete block
production, bottling
plants, and various
light industries. As
a consequence of the
lack of enough water
resources and arable
land, development of
agriculture, with
the exception of
fishing, is
precluded. On the
other hand, pearl
diving and trading
are also important
occupations for the
country in addition
to the oil industry.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
35439 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
15017 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
1.0%
Agriculture,
52.0% Industry,
47.0% Services,
(2001) |
|
Total Exports:
|
15662 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
8550 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Crude oil and
refined
products,
fertilizers |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Foodstuffs,
clothing,
construction
materials,
vehicles and
parts |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
US, Japan, UAE,
Saudi Arabia,
Italy and
Germany
|
|
