Kuwait

Kuwait at a Glance

Kuwait 's early beginnings go as far back as the early 17th century, known at the time as al-Qurain. It appeared in a Dutch map dated in the mid-17 th century, the earliest know map showing present-day Kuwait as al-Qurain. At the time, it was under the control of the house of Khaled, who dominated the eastern part of the Arabian peninsula. The name Kuwait, which is derived from Kout (fort), came about when the sheik of the house of Khaled, Barrak, built a fort in al-Qurain in the latter part of the 17 th century as a summer house In the early 18 th century, several clans from the Al Aniza tribe migrated to the northern shore of the Gulf from the Najd, their famine-stricken homeland in central Arabia, and settled in Kuwait, a small village at the time. With the rule of the house of Khaled weakening, the Al Sabah emerged as the dominant clan, and were formally established as rulers of Kuwait in 1752. These new settlers combined to create an oligarchic merchant principality, whose economic prosperity was based on fishing, pearling, and trade.

On June 19, 1961 Kuwait gained full independence from Britain. Iraq initially refused to accept Kuwait's independence and threatened to annex its neighbor, falsely alleging that Kuwait had once been part of Iraq. Iraq's military threats resulted in a deployment of British troops, which were soon replaced by an Arab League force, and the crisis subsided. In 1963 Kuwait became a member of the United Nations, and later that year Iraq agreed to abandon its threats and recognize Kuwait's independence and borders in a treaty signed by both governments.

Formal Name:	State of Kuwait (Dawlat al Kuwayt)	View Larger Map
Short Form:	Kuwait (Al Kuwayt)
Capital:	Kuwait City
National Anthem:
Government Type:	Constitutional monarchy
Date of Independence:	June 19, 1961
Constitution:	Approved and promulgated: November 11, 1962
Executive:	Power exercised by the Amir through Council of Ministers (frequently referred to as "the government") headed by a prime minister who is chosen by the Amir after traditional consultations.
Amir:	HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Crown Prince:	HH Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Prime Minister:	Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
Judicial System:	Based on the Egyptian model, it is an amalgam of Islamic law, English common law, and the Ottoman civil code.  Personal and family matters such as divorce and inheritance are governed by separate family courts operating under religious laws, each religious tradition (e.g. Sunni, Shia, Christian) having its own set of laws and courts.
Legislature:	Unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma) of 50 members elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms
Political Parties:	Not permitted, though there are formal political groupings that back MPs and candidates
Voting Right:	Male and Female citizens 21 and older. With the median age below the age of majority, the national constituency is approximately 113,000, making up roughly 15 percent of Kuwaiti nationals.  To avoid politicizing certain groups tied to the government, neither judges, nor the uniformed services (i.e. police and military personnel) vote.