Kuwait
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Kuwait is a small country (about 17,819 square kilometers) in the Middle East.
It has a small and rich economy. It has about 96 billion barrels of crude oil reserves. Crude oil reserves are the oil that is still under the ground and has not yet been cleaned up. Kuwait has 10% of all of the oil reserves in the world. The country makes a lot of money by selling oil. This money is almost half of all the money the country makes. The oil money is also 95% of the money made by selling things to different countries (people call that exports). Also, the oil money is 80% of the money the government makes. Kuwait is now talking with oil companies of other countries to make oil fields in the northern part of the country.
Kuwait's weather makes farming hard (too little rain). Instead of farming, the country catches fish and buys food from other countries. About 75% of the country's water to drink has to be distilled (have the salt removed) or purchased from other countries.
In 1990, Iraq invaded (brought an army in to fight against) Kuwait. This started the first Gulf War.
Kuwait's official religion is Islam, although 15% of its population are Christian or Hindu. Arabic is mostly spoken in Kuwait but English is wide-spread among Kuwaitis (residents of Kuwait). Kuwait is one of the few nations that has education for every age.
Below is information about the people of Kuwait:
Population (in thousands) for 2004 2595. CBR(per 1000) for 2004 19.4. CDR (per 1000) for 2004 1.9. Growth Rate(%) for 1992-2002 2.1. the Total Fertility Rate for 2002 is 2.7. Percent population is living in urban in 2003 96.2.Per capita gross national income ($) 2002 612. Population Density( per square kilometer) in 2000 107.4 Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000)for 2005 9.95. Adult literacy rate (85%) female literacy rate (81%) (2002).
Official name Kuwait (Dawlat al-Kuwayt)
Administrative divisions
5 governances
Capital
Kuwait (Al-Kuwayt), 1.090.000 people (1996)
Other cities
Al-Jahra (139.476 people), as-Salimiyah (116.104 people), Hawalli (84.478 people), al-Farwaniyah (47.106 people).
Population 2.093.889 (December 1996) Kuwaitis: 732.403 Non-Kuwaitis 1.361.486 Languages Arabic is the official language; English is widely used in business Currency Kuwaiti dinar (KD) KD 1 = US $ 3.2445 The currency is accepted worldwide and complies with the International Monetary Fund exchange regulations. Religion Islam is the official religion; Muslims %85, others %15 (mostly Christians and Hindu). Electricity 240 volts, 50 cycles AC Business hours: Shops: 8.30am-12.30pm and 4.30-9.00pm Banks: 8.30am-12.30pm, Sunday to Thursday All banks have 24-hour Automated Teller Machine (ATM) facilities. Working week: Saturday to Thursday Private firms usually work half a day on Thursday. Government offices (including educational establishments) are generally closed on Thursday and Friday. Public holidays 1st January: New Year's Day
25th February: National Day
25th February: Liberation Day
- Other public holidays occurring at variable dates every year according the Gregorian calendar include:
Mount Arafat Day, Eid Al-Adha (three days holiday).
Islamic New Year's Day.
Birth Day of Prophet Mohamed.
Al-Esra wa Al-Mi'raj (Prophet Mohamed's ascension to Heaven).
Eid El-Fitr (three days holiday).
International dialing code +965 Time zone GMT + 3 hours