Kuwait's Islands

There are nine islands off the mainland coast which fall under its jurisdiction namely: Auhha, Bubyan, Failaka, Kubbar, Miskan, Umm Al-Maradim, Umm Al-Naml, Warba, except Failaka, the others are either too small or unsuitable for habitation.

Climate

Kuwait has a desert climate of extreme temperatures, minimal rainfall and dense dust storms. The maximum temperatures recorded each year are over 50 degrees centigrade. The lowest temperatures may fall occasionally below 0 degrees centigrade in the open desert areas but frost is virtually unknown. The summer months extend from May to October and the winter months are from November to April. Rainfall occurs during the cool season and is around 6 inches a year. The weather throughout the year is mainly dry. However, August and September experience spells of humidity. March, April, October and December, are very pleasant, with temperatures around 21 degrees centigrade. During June and July, Kuwait experiences some of the most spectacular sandstorms, which sometimes last several days.

Wild Life

Animal life in Kuwait is sparse even more so after the devastation caused by the Gulf war. There have been infrequent sightings of gazelles, foxes and the very rare Civet Cat. Small mammals such as hares, rabbits, jerboa, rats and mice are a more usual sight.
The bird life in Kuwait includes the Desert and the Hoopoe Larks, the Flamingo and the rare Brown Necked Raven. The ever popular birds of prey such as the Marsh Harrier, Imperial Eagle, Ring Ouzel and the Peregrine Falcon are extremely rare while the Hubara Bustard is now reckoned to be extinct.
Cultivated land in Kuwait is increasing, with the result that migrating species of birds such as the House Sparrow, Rose-ringed Parakeet and the Golden Oriole are now regular visitors. Kuwait has two rare species of venomous snakes - the Sand viper and the nocturnal viper. Turtles can be seen along the seashore while further inland, the Monitor and the vegetarian Dabb Lizard are desert inhabitants. Stray dogs are uncommon while it is normal to see stray cats, often in considerable numbers.

Population

The balance of the population in Kuwait has changed. It is the Government's declared aim that the balance between Kuwaitis and expatriates should be maintained at a level that ensures that Kuwaitis should never again form a minority in their own country.
The population is now more than 1.5 million, of whom about 56% are non-Kuwaitis. Prior to August 1990 it was 2.1 million, with some 61% being non-Kuwaitis. A significant part of the workforce remains foreign; prior to the invasion the non-Government workforce was almost entirely expatriate.
A large proportion of the Kuwaiti population is young, about 60% being under 21 years old. Large Kuwaiti families are actively encouraged.
The bulk of the population lives in Deera (City). The other two major towns are Ahmadi and Jahra, which are 40 kilometers and 30 kilometers respectively from the centre of the Kuwait City.
A comparative study by the Ministry of Planning indicated that the non Arab population was at par the Arab population in June 1993. At that time Kuwait's population was just 1.484 million, with Kuwaitis accounting for 43% (642,000) and the balance were non-Kuwaitis (842,000).
Since then the population has increased to 1,716 million and in 1994, the figures are - Kuwaitis 664,000(38.7%) and non-Kuwaitis 1.052 million.
Amongst the non-Kuwaiti population, the Asians form 97% of the expatriate group. Expatriates continue to dominate the private sector. Women constituted just over 30% of the total Kuwaiti workforce, while female expatriate employees form 20% of the total foreign workforce in the country.
The statistics states that there are about 95,000 Kuwaiti families, forming 44% of the total number of families in Kuwait. The average size of a Kuwaiti family is 8.2 members.

Language

Kuwait's official language is Arabic, although English is frequently used commercially and is widely understood. Street and many shop signs are written in both English and Arabic. There are two major English language daily newspapers - The Arab Times and The Kuwait Times, but they are outsold by the five main Arabic daily newspapers.

Religion

Islam is the official religion of the State. "Islam" means total submission to the will of God. Islamic law (Shariah) is the major source of legislation. The basic tenet of Islam is that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is only a messenger of Allah.
There are 5 basic pillars of Islam : 1 - Shahada or Profession of faith (There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah). 2 - Salat or Prayers (A muslim should pray 5 times a day at prescribed times). 3 - Zakat or Almsgiving (A muslim has to pay 2.5% per annum on the annual savings). 4 - Saum or Fasting (Total abstaining from food or drink from dawn to dusk for a period of one whole month). 5 - Hajj or Pilgrimage (Every muslim should at least once in lifetime go for pilgrimage provided he or she is physically and financially capable).
Quran is the holy book of Islam, It not only provides complete way of life and guidance for the whole of mankind but defines every aspect of life through social, commercial, political and judicial set of rules. Islam is the first religion to grant men and women equal rights and they have been specified with different duties to perform. Women in Islam are entitled to inherit, hold property in their own name and are permitted to work outside the house. Women for the first and only time got the right to divorce in case of any marriage problems. Modesty of dress demands muslim women to cover from head to toe in public. Though Muhammad (PBUH) is the final prophet of God, muslims believe in all the previous prophets. People such as the Jews and Christians to whom prior revealations were made are called as the "People of the Book". Non-muslims living under Islamic Government are regarded as Ahl-Addimmah (Protected People) and are allowed to practice their own faiths.

Social Customs

Kuwait , being part of the Arab World, is governed by the religious beliefs of the Islamic (Muslim) religion. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs arranges all Islamic matters such as the administration of religious and charitable properties. The muslim way of life is quite different to that of the western world. Dates are calculated from the lunar calender which is 11 days shorter than the solar year. The muslim day begins at sunrise and ends at sunset with the working week running from saturday sunrise to thursday noon.
Despite the fact that many Arabs wear western dress and observe a number of western customs and business practices, there are a number of social customs which if not observed can cause offence; importation , sale or consumption of alcohol and pork is strictly forbidden and against the law; Coffee or tea is served during business and small meetings and it is impolite to refuse such refreshments; Non-muslims are permitted to enter a mosque at prayer times provided they behave with proper decorum.

Government

Kuwait became an independent state in 1961. The state is governed by a parliament of elected members and a nominated council of ministers. The Prime Minister is appointed by the head of the state, Amir Shaikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (13th ruler of the Al-Sabah dynasty). Kuwaitis have a direct right of appeal to the Amir, their being no political parties as Kuwait is an emirate (Princedom) whereby freedom of persons, religion, trade and the press are guaranteed by an independent judiciary.

Currency

The currency is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KD), and there are 1000 Fils to the Dinar. It is effectively pegged to the US Dollar which is the currency in which most of the world's oil is traded, and in which Kuwait is paid for its exports.
The Dinar is freely convertible. The rates are quoted daily in the local newspapers and are available from some of the banks over an automated telephone answering system.
The Governor of the Central Bank announced in December 1993, that the bank would issue new KD bank notes to coincide with the Liberation and the National Day anniversaries in February 1994. The announcement was followed by the discovery of forged notes in circulation. The new notes are now in circulation. The old banknotes were withdrawn from circulation by Thursday, February 16, 1995. The old banknotes are avoided as a currency but are still redeemable at the bank for the next ten years starting August 17, 1994 ending on August 27, 2004. Exchange of bank notes can be done at the Central Bank.

Economy

Over the past ten years, Kuwait has faced three major economic problems:
The first of these was the lengthy Iran-Iraq war which severely restricted trade between Kuwait and these two countries during the 1980's. The second in 1982 was the spectacular stock market crash (Suq Al Manakh) which left an estimated $19 billion worth of postdated cheques in the banking system.
Finally, just as the economy was beginning to emerge from these difficulties, there came the most traumatic event in Kuwait's modern history - on the 2nd of August 1990, Saddam Hussain of Iraq invaded Kuwait and was able to occupy the country for seven months before being forced to retreat by coalition forces, headed by the United States.

The infrastructure of the country was severely damaged during this occupation. Now, some five years after the invasion, war damage claims are being totalled up to reveal losses to the order of $170 billion - a figure which excludes the damage to the oilfields and the oil installations. The liberation of Kuwait was followed by a period of reconstruction and restocking. The oil industry has had to be rehabilitated to its pre-invasion level, the defence sector rebuilt, water and other utilities restored.

Fund for Future Generation

Prior to the invasion, over 90% of Kuwait income was derived from oil. During this time, while the country was running a surplus economy, a fund was established to prepare for when the oil would no longer be the prime source of income. This was called the Fund for Future Generations (Which at the time of the invasion stood at about $90 billion). This fund was managed by the Kuwait Investment Authority with its headquarters in the Ministries Complex in Kuwait City and the Kuwait Investment Office in London (well known for its swoop on the shares of British Petroleum when it was privatised).
Kuwait has had to use the Fund for Future Generations to pay the coalition for their efforts and to fund the post-war reconstruction. This fund has also been further depleted by a series of well publicised investment fiascos, the most notable being the loss of some $5 billion in a Spanish property company called Groupo Torros.For the first time in its history Kuwait had to go to the international money market, to cover its short-term liquidity. Out of a negotiated $5.5 billion loan only $.2.2 billion remain. These are facilities signed up with various credit insurance institutions of OECD Governments, including an amount of $500 million with the United Kingdom's Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD). These financial resources are likely to be used for the continuing reconstruction of the oil sector and to purchase equipment for other sector, e.g. Military Hardware.
Prior to the invasion the population stood at about 2.1 million of whom approximately 650,000 were Kuwaitis, and a significant proportion of the balance were Palestinians.
At present the population figures are reported to be more than 1.5 million - very few of the Palestinians remain having either left, during the hostilities or having been subsequently deported.
Kuwait's domestic consumer market has contracted considerably as a result of the post-war population loss. Symptomatic of this contraction is a decline in property values and the failure of some local small businesses.
It is the policy of the Kuwait Government to see that the country does not again get into the same position of dependence on expatriate labour for its day-to-day operations. However, in spite of this policy statement, the number of expatriates in the country continues to rise and once again there is talk of yet more controls being placed on the importation of expatriate labour.

Social Services

Many establishments share the task of providing a number of free services :
The Ministry of Public Health has one of the best and most developed health services in the world. The Ministry of Education provides education from kindergarten stage to university level and also scholarships abroad. The Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour through its various institutions, cares for children, youths and the handicapped, besides its financial aid to families in need and its social care for labourers and elderly people. Social Securities Authority which is supported by all Government and Public institutions and deals with matters relating to pensions and compensation paid in cases of sickness and death.

Oil

After the discovery of oil, British Petroleum and the Gulf Oil Corporation of America formed an operating unit, Kuwait oil Company (KOC) in 1934, each holding 50 percent of the share capital and since then Kuwait's development has seen dramatic changes. In 1938, a large oil field was discovered in the Burgan area which boosted oil revenues of Kuwait. By 1980, Kuwait's oil output was ranked 7th in the world and the World Bank estimated that the state has the highest per capita GNP in the world. The importance of oil to Kuwait can be clearly seen by the fact that oil revenues account for over 95 percent of the country's total income.

A Home for Every Family

The housing problem of Kuwait lies in the desire of every citizen to own a private house. There are no homeless Kuwaitis and the country does not have a problem with immigration into the towns. By the beginning of 1985, some 60,000 housing units had been built and distributed. In addition around 40,000 housing units are still under construction at a cost of more than KD.900 million. These units will house over 600,000 citizens.

Sea Ports

There are 3 main Sea Ports, namely Al-Shuwaikh, Al-Shuaiba and Doha. The first is the largest and oldest of the 3 ports and was established in 1960.

Airport

After the damage caused by the Iraqi invasion in 1990, Kuwait International Airport has been refurbished to international standards. It is installed with the latest and most sophisticated equipment and exclusive facilities and services like flight information monitors, bank, restaurant, mosque, call taxi & car rental services, mobile telephone hiring service, hotel reservation, duty free shopping center and a transit airport hotel.

National Carrier

In march 1954, the Kuwait National Airways Company was established with a capital of KD.150,000. By 1955, the airline was facing economic hardships which prompted the Kuwait Government to extend financial help by acquiring a 50 percent interest for £ .200,000. As a result the company's capital was doubled and its name was changed to Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC). In 1960, a second airline was formed which proved to be a tough competitor .