Kuwait

From New World Encyclopedia


دولة الكويت
Dawlat al-Kuwayt

State of Kuwait
Flag of Kuwait Coat of arms of Kuwait
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Al-Nasheed Al-Watani
Location of Kuwait
Capital Kuwait City
29°22′N 47°58′E
Largest city capital
Official languages Arabic
Government Constitutional hereditary emirate1
 - Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
 - Crown Prince Nawaf 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 
 - Water (%) negligible
Population
 - 2006 estimate 3,100,0002
 - Density 131/km²
339/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 - Total $88,7 billion
 - Per capita $29,566
HDI  (2004) Green Arrow Up (Darker).png 0.871 (high)
Currency Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
Time zone AST (UTC+3)
 - Summer (DST) (not observed) (UTC+3)
Internet TLD .kw
Calling code +965

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.

It is considered to be one of the 15 so-called "Cradle of Humanity" states.

Once a small gulf shaykhdom known locally as a center for pearl diving and boat construction, Kuwait came to international prominence in the post-World War II era largely because of its enormous oil revenues.

Geography

Map of Kuwait.

The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water."

Shaped roughly like a triangle, Kuwait borders the Persian Gulf to the east, with 121 miles (195 kilometers) of coast. The third side of the triangle is the 150 miles (240 kilometers) of historically contested border to the north and west that Kuwait shares with Iraq. Although the Iraqi government, which had first asserted a claim to rule Kuwait in 1938, recognized the borders with Kuwait in 1963, it continued to press Kuwait for control over Bubiyan and Warbah islands through the 1960s and 1970s. In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and, shortly thereafter, for a short period, formally incorporated the entire country into Iraq.

Kuwait includes within its territory nine Persian Gulf islands, two of which, Bubiyan (the largest) and Warbah, are largely uninhabited but strategically important.

The island of Faylakah, at the mouth of Kuwait Bay, is densely inhabited. It is believed to be the outermost point of the ancient civilization of Dilmun, which was centered in what is present-day Bahrain. Faylakah is the site of an ancient Greek temple built by the forces of Alexander the Great.

South-eastern Kuwait from space. The majority of Kuwait's population lives in coastal areas.

Bubiyan 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.

Kuwait's most prominent geographic feature is Kuwait Bay, which indents the shoreline for about 25 miles (40 kilometers), providing natural protection for the port of Kuwait and accounting for nearly one half the state's shoreline.

The total land area is 6880 square miles (17,818 square kilometres), which is slightly smaller than New Jersey in the United States.

Kuwait consists mostly of desert and little difference in altitude. The lowest point is sea level while the highest point is an unnamed location of 1000 feet (306 meters).

Kuwait enjoys a variable continental climate. Summers (April to October) are extremely hot and dry with temperatures exceeding 124°F (51°C) in Kuwait City several times during the hottest months of June, July and August. April and October are more moderate. Winters (November through February) are cool with some precipitation and average temperatures around 56°F (13°C) with extremes from -2°C to 27°C. The spring season (March) is warm and pleasant with occasional thunderstorms. The wettest months are January through March.

File:Kuwaittowers.jpg
Built in 1979, the Kuwait Towers are the most famous landmark in Kuwait City.

Natural hazards include sudden cloudbursts from October to April, bringing heavy rain that can damage roads and houses, as well as sandstorms and dust storms that occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August.

Environment concerns include limited natural fresh water resources, air and water pollution, and desertification. Some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water.

Kuwait City, the capital, had in 2005 an estimated population of 32,500 within city limits and 2.38 million in the metropolitan area. Located at the heart of the country on the shore of the Persian Gulf, and containing Kuwait's parliament (Majlis Al-Umma), most governmental offices, the headquarters of most Kuwaiti corporations and banks, it is the indisputable political, cultural and economical center of the emirate. Another city, Jahrah, is a 30-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 headquarter is located in Bayan, a wealthy suburb in the Al-Jahra governorate.

History

Bust of Alexander the Great.

During the Dilmun era (from around 3000 B.C.E.), which saw the establishment of neighboring Bahrain, the island of Failaka was already developing its own unique culture and religious pantheon. Worship of the sun appears to have been practiced. Shamash was the common Akkadian name of the sun-god and god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria. Human sacrifice may also have taken place.

It is believed that during Alexander the Great's advance through the region on his way to India in 326 B.C.E., the ancient Greeks colonized the island of Failaka, which they named Icarus, after the island of a similar shape off the Greek coast. Some elements of Greek mythology mixed with the local cults. The island was inhabited through the seventh or eighth century C.E.

Portuguese base

In the early sixteenth century, Portuguese invaded the region and built a fort in the area that became Kuwait City. The Portuguese used the fort as a base from which to venture north. Their residence in the Arabian Desert was short-lived, so until the eighteenth century, Kuwait was a territory of shifting communities

Bani Utub

The Bani Utub originated from the region of Najd in central Arabia. The tribe possibly formed when a group of different tribal groups migrated from Najd to Kuwait on the Persian Gulf coast sometime in the late seventeenth century. From the Bani Utub descended the Al-Sabah family, which went on to rule Kuwait, and the Al Khalifa family, which went on to rule Bahrain.

In 1710, the Al-Sabah family, a nomadic people of Arabian descent, settled in what became Kuwait city. According to tradition, the Sabahs migrated south to flee drought in Najd, but found conditions bleaker. Returning to Najd, they regrouped and migrated to Zubara, on Qatar's west coast. Finding conditions no better there, they finally migrated to Kuwait where they found water and consequently settled. When they arrived at Kuwait, they found a small Bani Khalid settlement. The Banu Khalid were the rulers of the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, they also controlled Kuwait for about a century.

While the desert-oriented Bani Khalid dominated the area, the Bani Utub developed maritime skills. Kuwait had arguably one of the best natural harbors in the Persian Gulf; its location allowed it to benefit from the caravan trade to Aleppo and Baghdad, Shatt al-Arab trade, and from smuggling trade into Ottoman territory that high tariffs encouraged. The Bani Utub traded in horses, wood, spices, coffee, dates and especially pearls; Kuwait was located within close sail of the pearl banks that stretched down the Persian Gulf coast. In the summer, boats sailed for pearls; in the winter, they turned to entrepôt trade.

As trade became the basis of the economy, the Bani Utub developed new political and social arrangements. Tribal traditions were retained, but trade became tightly and hierarchically organized. Pearl divers were distinguished occupationally from ropepullers, captains, or merchants. The proceeds from the pearling industry were divided on the basis of occupation; at the top, a stratum of merchants, the core of which composed of Bani Utub, became the elite. Above the merchants were the Al-Sabah family, who early on enjoyed some pre-eminence.

Soon after the colony was founded, Sabah I became leader, ruling until his death in 1762, when he was succeeded by his youngest son, Abdullah I Al-Sabah. In 1766, the al-Khalifa and, soon after, the al-Jalahima, left Kuwait en masse for Zubara in Qatar. Their emigration left the Sabahs in undisputed control, and by the end of Abdullah I Al-Sabah's long rule (1762-1812), Sabah rule was secure, and the political hierarchy in Kuwait was well established, the merchants deferring to direct orders from the Shaikh. By the nineteenth century, not only was the ruling Sabah much stronger than a desert Shaikh but also capable of naming his son successor.

Contact with Britain

Kuwait's first contact with Britain occurred in 1775 when first plague, then the Persians, struck Basra and the British East India Company made arrangements to have the Persian Gulf-Aleppo Mail Service diverted through Kuwait. Also during this period, the British established a base in the region. The British became increasingly interested in Kuwait, and the Middle East in general, as the Germans made plans to extend their proposed Berlin-Baghdad railway into Kuwait, where they intended to locate a coaling station.

Sabah family rule, though well established, remained limited until well into the twentieth century, because the merchants, owing to their financial power, could still check Sabah designs. The financial influence of the merchants came from their control of trade and imports, duties which sustained the Shaikh.

Mubarak the Great

File:Mubarak Al-Sabah.jpg
Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah.

Although Kuwait was nominally governed from Basra, the Kuwaitis had traditionally maintained a relative degree of autonomy. By the late 1870s, the Ottomans were bankrupt, and when the European banks took control of the Ottoman budget in 1881, additional income was required from Kuwait and the Arabian peninsula. Midhat Pasha, the governor of Iraq, demanded that Kuwait submit to Ottoman rule. The al-Sabah found diplomatic allies in the British Foreign Office. In May 1896, Shaikh Muhammad Al-Sabah was assassinated by his half-brother, Mubarak al-Sabah (the Great) who, in early 1897, was recognized, by the Ottoman sultan, as the provincial sub-governor)of Kuwait.

In July 1897, Mubarak invited the British to deploy gunboats along the Kuwaiti coast. This led to what is known as the First Kuwaiti Crisis, in which the Ottomans demanded that the British stop interfering with their empire. In the end, the Ottoman Empire backed down, rather than go to war.

In January 1899, Mubarak signed an agreement with Britain that required British consent for any of Kuwait's international relations, and gave Britain responsibility for Kuwait's national security. In return, Britain agreed to grant an annual subsidy of 15,000 Indian rupees (£1500) to the ruling family.

In 1911 Mubarak raised the taxes, prompting three of wealthy businessmen led a protest and they made Bahrain their main trading point, hurting the Kuwaiti economy. Mubarak apologized and the three businessmen returned to Kuwait. In 1915 Mubarak the Great died and was succeeded by his son Jaber II Al-Sabah for just over one year until on his death in early 1917 his brother Sheikh Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah succeeded him.

The Anglo-Ottoman Convention

In the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, the British concurred with the Ottoman Empire in defining Kuwait as an “autonomous caza” of the Ottoman Empire, and that the Shaikhs of Kuwait were not independent leaders, but rather provincial sub-governors of the Ottoman government. The convention ruled that Shaikh Mubarak had authority over an area extending out to a radius of 50 miles (80km) from the capital. This region was marked by a red circle and included the islands of Auhah, Bubiyan, Failaka, Kubbar, Mashian, and Warba. A green circle designated an area extending out an additional 62 miles (100km) in radius, within which the sub-governor was authorized to collect tribute and taxes from the natives.

Border war with Najd

After |World War I, the Ottoman Empire was defeated and the British invalidated the Anglo-Ottoman Convention, declaring Kuwait to be an "independent sheikhdom under British protectorate." The power vacuum left by the fall of the Ottomans sharpened conflict between Kuwait and Najd. Shaikh Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah insisted that Kuwait was in full control of all territory out to a radius of 87 miles (140km) from the capital; however, the ruler of Najd, Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman ibn Saud, argued, in September 1920, that the borders of Kuwait did not extend past the walls of the capital. ibn Saud noted that the Convention had never been ratified and that Kuwait was not effectively in control of the disputed territory.

In May 1920 ibn Saud's Wahhabi Bedouins of Najd had attacked a Kuwaiti detachment in southern Kuwait, forcing its retreat. In October they raided Jahra, 25 miles (40km) from the capital. In response, the British deployed gunboats, armored cars and aircraft. The Bedouins withdrew.

The Uqair border protocol

The 1920s and 30s saw the collapse of the pearl fishery and with it Kuwait's economy. This is attributed to the invention of the artificial cultivation of pearls. Kuwait became one of the world's poorest countries and became even more dependent on Britain for protection.

In response to the various Bedouin raids, the British High Commissioner in Baghdad, Sir Percy Cox, imposed the Uqair Protocol of 1922 that defined the boundaries between Iraq and Nejd; and between Kuwait and Nejd. On April 19, 1923, the British government confirmed that it recognized the outer green line of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention the border between Iraq and Kuwait. This decision limited Iraq's access to the Persian Gulf to 36 miles (58km) of mostly marshy and swampy coastline. As this would make it difficult for Iraq to become a naval power, since the territory did not include any deepwater harbours, the Iraqi monarch Faisal I, whom the British installed as a puppet king, did not agree, but as his country was under British mandate, he had little say. The border was re-recognized in 1927. The protocol also established the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone, an area of about 2000 square miles (5180 square kilometers). adjoining Kuwait's southern border.

In 1941 on the same day as the German invasion of Russia (22 June) the British took control of Iraq and Kuwait. The British and Russians would invade the neighboring Iran in September of that year.

Oil wealth

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 declare independence, on June 19, 1961. This declaration 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. But in 1963, Iraq reaffirmed its acceptance of Kuwaiti sovereignty and the boundary it agreed to in 1913 and 1932.

In December 1969, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement dividing the neutral zone (to be called the divided zone) and demarcating a new international boundary. Both countries share equally the divided zone’s petroleum, onshore and offshore.

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.

Gulf war

USAF aircraft (F-16, F-15C and F-15E) fly over Kuwaiti oil fires, set by the retreating Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Kuwait was allied with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). Kuwait paid Iraq to protect it from what it perceived as a threat posed by Iran. On August 2, 1990, Kuwait was invaded and annexed by Iraq under Saddam Hussein, who claimed that Kuwaiti territory was an Iraqi province, and that annexation was retaliation for alleged slant drilling into oil supplies on Iraqi territories. Saddam Hussein deposed the monarchy and installed a new Kuwaiti governor, Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in gassing thousands of Kurdish civilians in Halabja in 1988.

Authorized by the UN Security Council, an American-led coalition of 34 nations fought the Persian Gulf War to remove Saddam's control from Kuwait. After six weeks of fierce fighting, the coalition forced Iraq to withdraw its troops from Kuwait on February 26, 1991. During their retreat, the Iraqi armed forces exacted a scorched earth policy by setting fire to Kuwaiti oil wells or releasing oil from those wells into the 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 severely damaged during the war.

Prosperity

File:Kuwait city skyline.jpg
Kuwait city skyline.

Kuwait experienced an unprecedented era of prosperity under Emir Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah, who died in 1977 after ruling for 12 years, and under his successor, Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who died in January 2006. The country was transformed into a highly developed welfare state with a free market economy. During the seven month occupation by Iraq, the Emir, the government, and many Kuwaitis took refuge in Saudi Arabia or other nations. The Emir and the government managed Kuwaiti affairs from Saudi Arabia, London, and elsewhere during the period, relying on substantial Kuwaiti investments available outside Kuwait for funding and war-related expenses. His return after the liberation in February 1991 was relatively smooth.

Emir removed

On January 24, 2006 the parliament voted to remove the ailing Emir Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah from power. Such a vote is unusual in the Arab countries. He was Emir only briefly, after the death of Emir Jaber al Ahmed al Sabah on January 15, 2006. The cabinet nominated the previous Prime Minister, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah, to be elected Emir. He won the majority of the votes in the parliament and then became the 15th Emir of the state. He then appointed the minister of Emiri Diwan Naser Almohammad to be prime minister.

Government and politics

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah with President George W. Bush.

Kuwait is a constitutional hereditary emirate. The executive comprises the chief of state, who since January 2006 was Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah and Crown Prince Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah . The prime minister is head of government. Since April 2007 Nasir Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah has been prime minister. There are no elections; the emir is hereditary, and appoints the prime minister and his deputies. The prime minister appoints the Council of Ministers (cabinet) members of which are approved by the emir.

Upon the death of Emir, the Crown Prince succeeds. The new Emir then selects a crown prince, though in practice he can do this only after the members of the ruling al-Sabah family arrive at a consensus on who should be appointed. The crown prince must be approved by an absolute majority of the members of the National Assembly. If the new crown prince fails to win approval from the Assembly, the emir submits the names of three eligible members of the family to the Assembly, and the Assembly selects one to be the crown prince. The emir and the crown prince must be direct descendants, in the patrilineal line, of Mubarak the Great. Successions were smooth in 1965 and in 1978. The succession of 2006 caused a political crisis.

The Emir's powers are defined by the 1962 constitution. These powers include appointing the prime minister, dissolving parliament, promulgating laws, referring bills back to the parliament for reconsideration, and appointing military officers. According to the Kuwaiti Constitution, the Emir's person is immune and inviolable. Therefore, criticism of him and his actions are not permitted in the national media.

File:2005-04-27 Koweït 003.jpg
The National Assembly of Kuwait.

The legislature comprises a unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma. Its 50 members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. All cabinet ministers are ex officio voting members of the National Assembly. Elections were last held in June 2006. There are no political parties. The formation of political parties is in practice illegal, but is not forbidden by law. Before 2005, only 15 percent of the Kuwaiti population was allowed to vote, with all women, people of less than 30 years' citizenship, and members of the armed forces excluded. Adult women were allowed to vote as of May 16, 2005. All voters must have been citizens for 20 years.

The Judiciary in Kuwait is an independent body. In each administrative district of Kuwait there is a Summary Court (also called Courts of First Instance which are composed of one or more divisions, like a Traffic Court or an Administrative Court); then there is Court of Appeals; Cassation Court and lastly - a Constitutional Court, which interprets the constitution and deals with disputes related to the constitutionality of laws. Kuwait has a civil law system, with Islamic law is significant in personal matters. Kuwait has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.

Kuwait is divided into six governorates: Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al Asimah, Al Jahra, Hawalli, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer. The governorates are further divided into districts.

The State of Kuwait (Dawlat al Kuwayt) has been ruled by the al-Sabah dynasty since approximately 1752. The constitution, approved and promulgated on November 11, 1962, calls for direct elections to a unicameral parliament (the National Assembly). Despite the regular holding of relatively free and fair elections to the National Assembly, Kuwait is not a democracy by the usual definition of the term because the prime minister is not responsible to parliament. Nonetheless, Kuwaitis enjoy more civil and political freedoms than the citizens of most non-democratic states. Kuwait's parliament is the strongest of those found in the monarchies of the Gulf. Kuwaitis take some pride in the rarity of political violence in their country, especially given the frequently high levels of violence found in neighboring states and elsewhere in the Arab world. All members of the Ruling family receive a monthly stipend from the Amiri Diwan.

Kuwait's monarchical system of government is marked by the unusually wide involvement of members of the ruling family in state posts. Members of the ruling family hold several important cabinet porfolios, including defense, interior and foreign affairs. Members of the ruling family (who bear the title 'shaykh' in Kuwait) typically hold additional cabinet posts, and are found in many other high posts in the government. This major family role in politics emerged in 1939, when shaykhs of the al-Sabah closed the Kuwaiti parliament that the merchants had established the year before.

Military

File:LiberationTower.jpg
The skyline of Kuwait City. At 1220 feet (372meters), the Liberation Tower (seen in background) is the world's 13th-tallest free-standing structure.

Before the Persian Gulf War, Kuwait maintained a small military force consisting of army, navy, and air force and national guard units. A separately organized National Guard maintains internal security. Most military equipment, supplied by the United Kingdom and the United States, was either destroyed or taken by the Iraqis, and . property returned by Iraq was damaged beyond repair. Since the war, Kuwait, with the help of the United States and other allies, has taken steps to enlarge and modernize the armed forces.

Human rights

Kuwait uses the death penalty for murder and drug trafficking. According to Human Rights Watch, Kuwait restricts the rights of individuals of foreign descent who live permanently in Kuwait (“bidun”), to leave and return to Kuwait, to marry and found a family, and to work, and their children's rights to education, to be registered immediately after birth, and to acquire a nationality. After the Gulf War of 1990-1991, Kuwait expelled more than 400,000 Palestinian refugees (after the PLO allied itself with Iraq during its invasion of Kuwait). The right to organize a labor union is limited.

In 2005 Kuwait ranked 85th in the Reporters Without Borders world survey of the freedom of the press. According to the 2004 full report, Kuwait ranks among the most free countries in the Middle East for the press, but there is still widespread self-censorship of local and foreign press, and certain subjects are understood to be taboo. The media law, passed in 2006, became an obstacle for writers and citizens who might consider criticizing the government's performance. A court order closed a leading Kuwaiti news paper AlWatan for three days, and a magazine editor was sent to jail for criticizing government actions.

Economy

Kuwait has a fairly open economy with a lot of multi-national companies operating in the oil-rich nation. Shown here is a Burger King restaurant situated at the Kuwait International Airport.

Kuwait is a small, relatively open economy with proven crude oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels (15 km³), or about 10 percent of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of gross domestic product (GDP), 90 percent of export revenues, and 75 percent of government income.

Kuwait lacks water and has practically no arable land, thus preventing development of agriculture. With the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75 percent of drinking water must be distilled or imported. Higher oil prices reduced the budget deficit from $5.5-billion to $3-billion in 1999, and prices are expected to remain relatively strong throughout 2000. The government is proceeding slowly with reforms. It inaugurated Kuwait's first free-trade zone in 1999 and will continue discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.

An oil refinery in Mina-Al-Ahmadi, Kuwait

During the 1970s, Kuwait benefited from the dramatic rise in oil prices, which Kuwait actively promoted through its membership in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The economy suffered from the triple shock of a 1982 securities market crash, the mid-1980s drop in oil prices, and the 1990 Iraqi invasion and occupation. In the closing hours of the Gulf War in February 1991, the Iraqi occupation forces set ablaze or damaged 749 of Kuwait's oil wells. All of these fires were extinguished within a year. Production has been restored, and refineries have been modernized. Oil exports surpassed their pre-invasion levels in 1993 with production levels only constrained by OPEC quotas.

The expenses of the Iraqi invasion and post-war reconstruction placed a heavy economic burden on the country. The Kuwaiti Government-in-exile depended upon its $100-billion in overseas investments during the Iraqi occupation in order to help pay for the reconstruction. Thus, by 1993, this balance was cut to less than half of its pre-invasion level. The wealth of Kuwait is based primarily on oil and capital reserves, and the Iraqi occupation severely damaged both.

Gross domestic product (GDP) for 2005 was $53.31-billion, giving Kuwait a per-capita GDP of $22,800. The labour force totals 2,335,648 people, with only about two fifths of this number equalling the citizens that are of Kuwaiti Nationality. The Central Bank of Kuwait in the capital city issues Kuwait’s currency, the Kuwaiti dinar, which had in 2007 the highest valued currency unit in the world.

Kuwait’s road system is well developed by regional standards. There was no railway system in 2007, however the government announced plans to construct an underground metro in an effort to ease traffic congestion. An international airport is located in the southern outskirts of the Kuwait city metropolitan area. The country has three modern seaports, one of which specializes in oil exports. There are plans of another port to be built on the country's larger island; Bubiyan island.

Exports totalled $56.06-billion in 2006. Export commodities included oil and refined products, and fertilizers. Export partners included Japan 19.7 percent, South Korea 15.4 percent, U.S. 11.9 percent, Taiwan 11.1 percent, Singapore 9.5 percent, and the Netherlands 4.7 percent.

Imports totalled $19.12-billion in 2006. Import commodities included food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, and clothing. Import partners included the U.S. 14.1 percent, Germany 10.8 percent, Japan 8.4 percent, Saudi Arabia 6.2 percent, UK 5.7 percent, France 4.8 percent, and China 4.5 percent.

Demographics

Date seller.

Kuwait's population was estimated at 3.1-million people; counting both locals and foreigners, in 2006. It is estimated that one in every three to four people in Kuwait are of Kuwaiti citizenship. Every Kuwait person is categorized into one of three classes, and each person’s class is recorded on his or her passport. First class Kuwaitis were those who arrived before 1900, before oil wealth and when Kuwait was poor, and make up between five and 15 percent of the population. Second class citizens arrived between1900 and 1960. The third class includes those who arrived after 1960. About 96 percent of the population is urban. It is thought that there are at least 10-15,000 illegal immigrants in the country, increasing by 5000 individuals each year. There are also about 100,000 stateless people there, mostly Arabs. After the Gulf War the entire population of Palestinians was expelled, because they were believed to sympathize with Iraq. Most illegals are of Bengali or Pakistani decent. Life expectancy for the total population was 77.03 years in 2005.

Ethnicity, religion

Racially speaking, Kuwaitis are described usually as “white” or “tan/black” (“beedh”, “sumur” respectively, although the government does not include this in its database. About 60-65 percent are Arab (brown), 30-35 percent are Persian (white), and 5-10 percent are signified as "others", including Africans (black), East Asian, or European (white). The foreign population mainly consists of people from Egpyt, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines and Sri Lanka. Non-Arabs are classed as "Ajam", and most Ajam are of Persian ancestry, numbers of who have been declining. Civil identifications have no form of racial or ethnic identities. Racial conflict is claimed to be rare in Kuwait.

About 75 percent of the population is Muslim (Sunni 81 percent, Shi'a 19 percent), while Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and others make up the remaining 25 percent.

Language

Kuwait's official language is Arabic, though roughly half the country speaks the language primarily. Most foreigners speak Hindi, Urdu, Filipino or Bengali. Some Kuwaitis are bilingual. Speakers of Hindi were expected to out-number the Arabic language speakers.

Men and women

Women are involved parts of the labor force, but few women work outside of the home. Those women who do, often work in the social services, in clerical positions, and as teachers. Few women own or manage small businesses. Women gained the right to vote in 2005, in time for the 2006 parliamentary elections, although there was low turnout. Since 1999, women have served in the police force. Many women still go veiled and wear the traditional black, but many girls in the younger generation follow western fashion. Women are agitating to end social restrictions, for more women's rights, and for increased job opportunities.

Marriage and the family

Most marriages are arranged according to tradition. Women need their father's permission to marry, and cannot marry a non-Muslim, although a man can. A woman can only marry one spouse, while a man may take up to four wives. Extended families live together, both because of limited housing, and so that all family members can be involved in passing on family and cultural traditions. Both men and women have equal property rights.

Education

File:Indian School Salmiya.jpg
Indian School is the oldest Indian school in Kuwait.

Oil revenues have allowed Kuwait to build an extensive educational system. Public schooling is free and compulsory from the age of five to 18, and several private schools also teach this age group. Pupils are segregated into boys’ and girls’ schools after kindergarten. There are numerous private schools. All private schools offer different and competitive programs.

Kuwait University is Kuwait's only public university, but has a prestigious reputation in the Middle East, and has a medical school. Both the extensive library system at Kuwait University and the collection at Kuwait National Museum were heavily damaged and looted during the Iraqi occupation in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The Gulf University for Science and Technology, the first private university in Kuwait, was established in 2002. It had two campuses in Hawalli and was to open its third in the same town where the Australian College of Kuwait is located. The American University of Kuwait and the Australian College of Kuwait both opened in 2004.

The literacy rate was 83.5 percent in 2003.

Class

There are five classes in Kuwait society. The ruling family is at the top of the social hierarchy, followed by the old Kuwaiti merchant families. Former Bedouins, Arabian Desert nomads, who settled in Kuwait when the oil industry started, are placed in the middle, followed by Arabs from neighboring countries. Foreigners are placed at the bottom. Within classes, strong kinship bonds keep society together. Within the hierarchy are enormous gaps between the rich, the middle class, and the poor migrants.

Culture

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, five 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. Although no newspaper is permitted to criticize the executive authority, the criticism of other members of the ruling family is permitted. All newspapers in Kuwait were established with a "Amiri decree". For the past thirty years there have been demands to allow the establishment of other newspapers, but with no response from government.

There is also one private radio station, Martina FM, named after the shopping complex "Marina Mall", which has gained notoriety all over the gulf countries for its flirtatious visitors.[1]


References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Anscombe, Frederick F. 1997. The Ottoman Gulf: the creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231108389
  • Crystal, Jill. 1992. Kuwait: the transformation of an oil state. Westview profiles. Boulder: Westview Press ISBN 0813308887
  • Ismael, Jacqueline S. 1982. Kuwait: social change in historical perspective. Contemporary issues in the Middle East. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0815622546
  • Osborne, Christine. 1977. The Gulf States and Oman. London: Croom Helm. ISBN 085664515X

External links

  • Kuwait World Factbook 2007, accessed May 31, 2007.
  • Kuwait Countries and Their Cultures Ja-Ma, accessed May 31, 2007.
  • Kuwait BBC News Country Profile, accessed June 1, 2007.
  • Kuwait U.S. Department of State, accessed June 1, 2007.
  • Kuwait Official Website of Kuwait, accessed June 1, 2007.

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  1. Marcinko Richard Seal Force Alpha, 1st edition, Simon & Schuster, 1998, ISBN 0671000675