Kuwait
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt |
| Gevernment type | constitutional hereditary emirate |
| Capital |
name: Kuwait
geographic coordinates: 29 20 N, 47 59 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Currency | Kuwaiti dinar (KD) |
| Internet country code | .kw |
| Ports and terminals | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi |
| Agriculture products | practically no crops; fish |
| Industries | petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials |
| Geography |
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia |
| Coordinates | 29 30 N, 45 45 E |
| Continent | Middle East |
| Area |
total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km |
| Coastline | 499 km |
| Climate | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters |
| Terrain | flat to slightly undulating desert plain |
| Natural resources | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas |
| 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 |
| People |
| Population | 2,418,393
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% |
| Religions | Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% |
| Languages | Arabic (official), English widely spoken |
