Transportation and telecommunications
Although there are no railways in the country, Kuwait has a modern road system linking it with its neighbours, as well as a large international airport, Kuwait International Airport, which is located just south of the capital. Kuwait Airways Corporation, a state-owned enterprise, serves a number of international routes. The country’s port facilities and its fleet of oil tankers and general cargo ships have been expanded.
Regular telephone service was established in Kuwait only in the 1950s; since that time the country has made significant progress in telephone, cable, wireless communication, and Internet service. The country’s communication infrastructure was badly damaged during the Iraqi invasion, but the damage has largely been repaired, and the Kuwaiti government—through its Ministry of Communications—has further developed Kuwait’s communication grid by means of contracts with international telecommunications firms.
Government and society
Constitutional framework
Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with one legislative body. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1961, Kuwait has been governed by an emir from the Ṣabāḥ family. The emir rules through a Council of Ministers—consisting largely of members of his own family—that he himself appoints. Legislative power rests in the National Assembly (Majlis al-Ummah), whose 50 members are elected to four-year terms. This parliament, however, was suspended in 1976, in 1985, and again in 1999.
Justice
Kuwait’s legal system has several sources. Personal and civil law (roughly, family law and probate law) are based largely on Sharīʿah (Islamic law). Commercial and criminal law, while also influenced by Sharīʿah, borrows heavily from both European civil and common law as well as from the legal codes of the Ottoman Empire and from those of other Arab states, which are themselves heavily influenced by European law. There are several lower courts and a system of appeals courts. The emir sometimes acts as the final court of appeal.
Political process
In lieu of political parties, which are prohibited in Kuwait, several quasi-political organizations have representatives in the parliament. Voting is limited to natural-born Kuwaiti men who are at least 21 years old; servicemen and police are barred from voting. Under these qualifications, approximately one-tenth of the population forms the electorate. Beginning in the 1990s, attempts to extend suffrage to women increased. In 1999 the emir announced that he would allow women to vote in future elections; the franchise was officially granted in 2005, and in 2009 women were elected to parliament for the first time.
Security
Kuwait’s military expenditure per capita is among the highest in the world. Such spending is largely a result of the hostile relationship with Iraq; after the Persian Gulf War, Kuwait undertook significant measures to modernize and increase its armed forces. U.S. troops have been stationed there since the early 1990s, and Kuwait also has defense agreements with other countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. Kuwaiti males are required to serve two years in the armed forces, although university students may receive exemptions for one year of that service.
Health and welfare
Kuwait has a comprehensive scheme of social welfare. The needy receive financial assistance; loans are provided to the handicapped to start businesses; the disabled can get treatment and training; and education is available for adult illiterates. The Ministry of Social Affairs offers a program that provides adequate, affordable housing, fully equipped with modern facilities, for citizens with limited incomes. Kuwait also has a comprehensive and highly developed subsidized national health-care system. In 1976 the government established Kuwait’s Reserve Fund for Future Generations, and it has set aside 10 percent of the state’s revenues annually for it. The government found it necessary, however, to tap into that fund during the Iraqi occupation.
Housing
Housing in Kuwait is heavily subsidized by the government, and—since the government has invested large amounts of money in development since the oil boom—housing standards are generally high. Traditional housing (mud-walled structures one to two stories tall) has largely given way to modern-style homes and apartment complexes in most parts of the country.
Education
About four-fifths of the population is literate. General education in Kuwait is compulsory for native Kuwaitis between the ages of 6 and 14. It is entirely free and also includes school meals, books, uniforms, transportation, and medical attention. Non-Kuwaiti students typically attend private schools. Kuwait University was founded in 1964. The vast majority of its students are Kuwaitis, and about three-fifths are women. In 2001 the university began segregating by gender, a move that was called for by the National Assembly. Other institutions of higher learning include the College of Technological Studies. The American University of Kuwait was established in 2004. Several thousand students attend colleges and universities overseas, principally in the United States, Britain, and Egypt, usually on state scholarships.
Cultural life
Although Kuwait embraces many facets of Western culture, the country remains culturally conservative. Its Arab-Islamic heritage permeates daily life. As in much of the Middle East, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the 1970s and ’80s was reflected in a general return to traditional customs, as seen in the public dress of women, who began wearing the ḥijāb, or veil, far more than in the past. The right of women to drive automobiles and to work outside the home is generally accepted and has not been a matter of public debate, yet the question of granting women the right to vote has divided Islamists, some of whom seek to enforce even more conservative Islamic standards such as those found in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
1Excludes 15 cabinet ministers not elected to National Assembly serving ex officio. |
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| Official name | Dawlat al-Kuwayt (State of Kuwait) |
|---|---|
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy with one legislative house (National Assembly [501]) |
| Head of state and government | Emir: Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, assisted by Prime Minister: Sheikh Jabir al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah |
| Capital | Kuwait (city) |
| Official language | Arabic |
| Official religion | Islam |
| Monetary unit | Kuwaiti dinar (KD) |
| Population | (2014 est.) 4,039,000
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| Total area (sq mi) | 6,880 |
| Total area (sq km) | 17,818 |
| Urban-rural population | Urban: (2012) 98.3% Rural: (2012) 1.7% |
| Life expectancy at birth | Male: (2011) 76.4 years Female: (2011) 66.9 years |
| Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate | Male: (2007) 95.2% Female: (2007) 93.1% |
| GNI per capita (U.S.$) | (2011) 44,730 |
