other Arab, 9% South Asian, 4%
Iranian, 20.1% other

Religion: 85% Muslim (30% Shia, 45% Sunni, 10% other),
15% Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other

Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken

Literacy: 71% (est.)

Labor force: 566,000 (1986); 45.0% services, 20.0% construction, 12.0%
trade, 8.6% manufacturing, 2.6% finance and real estate, 1.9% agriculture, 1.7%
power and water, 1.4% mining and quarrying; 70% of labor force is non-Kuwaiti

Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among government
personnel

- Government
Long-form name: State of Kuwait

Type: nominal constitutional monarchy

Capital: Kuwait

Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt,
Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah

Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)

Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29
August 1962)

Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: National Day, 25 February

Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved
3 July 1986

Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal

Leaders:
Chief of State--Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al SABAH
(since 31 December 1977);

Head of Government--Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sad Abdallah
al-Salim Al SABAH (since 8 February 1978)

Political parties and leaders: none

Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male
descendants at age 21; note--out of all citizens, only 8.3% are
eligible to vote and only 3.5% actually vote

Elections:
National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986 and no elections are
planned

Communists: insignificant

Other political or pressure groups: large (350,000) Palestinian
community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups
are active

Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IPU, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Shaikh Saud Nasir AL-SABAH;
Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 966-0702;
US--Ambassador W. Nathaniel HOWELL; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar (o