2009 Kuwait

Kuwait
center|Flag
center|Location
Capital: Kuwait City
Official Language: Arabic
Government: Constitutional hereditary emirate
Head of State: Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Formation: June 19, 1961
Population: 3,399,637 (2007)
Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
¨Human Rights Record¨ Wikipedia article
¨Territorial Disputes¨ Iraq, Saudi Arabia
¨Ongoing Conflicts¨ None
Welcome to the international embassy of Kuwait!
=Diplomatic Relations=
Nation currently enjoys diplomatic relations with all nations except Israel, Cuba, Taiwan, and Palestine.
Nation is a member of the Arab League, the GCC, OPEC, and the OIC.
Nation is a signatory to the following treaties: ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (no longer after Emiri decree from Emir Sabah), ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO.
=Summary=
The State of Kuwait (Arabic: دولة الكويت) is a sovereign Arab emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water." It has a population of 3.1 million and an area of 17,818 km². Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and Kuwait City serves as its political and economic capital.
Kuwait has the world's fifth largest proven oil reserves and is the ninth richest country in the world per capita. Kuwait's oil fields were discovered and exploited in the 1930s and after it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961, the nation's oil industry saw unprecedented growth. Petroleum and petroleum products now account for nearly 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income.
=Brief History=
In 1990, Kuwait was invaded and annexed by neighboring Iraq. The seven month-long Iraqi occupation came to an end after a direct military intervention by United States-led forces. Nearly 750 Kuwaiti oil wells were set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army resulting in a major environmental and economic catastrophe. Kuwait's infrastructure was badly damaged during the war and had to be rebuilt.
Kuwait continues to be a strong ally of the United States and hosts it's bases. 
Formation of political parties is in practice illegal but is not forbidden by law. 
In May 2007 Kuwait changed its currency peg from the US dollar to a basket of currencies in order to curb inflation and to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf.
=Diplomatic Messages=
=Resources=
*Kuwait on Wikipedia
*Kuwait on the BBC
* Kuwait on the CIA world factbook
*Homepage of the Kuwaiti government