Country name:
conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
Government type:
constitutional hereditary emirate
Capital:
name: Kuwait
geographic coordinates: 29 20 N, 47 59 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al
'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir
Independence:
19 June 1961 (from UK)
National holiday:
National Day, 25 February (1950)
Constitution:
approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Legal system:
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females
(as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29
January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
head of government: Prime Minister NASIR al-Muhammad al-Ahmad
al-Sabah (since 7 February 2006) First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR
Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime
Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February
2006) and Ismail al-SHATTI (since 10 July 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and
approved by the amir
elections: none; the amir is hereditary; the amir appoints the prime
minister and deputy prime ministers