|
Country
|
Kuwait | 
New Zealand |
|
Leader
|
Emir: Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah
|
Prime minister: John Key
|
|
Population
|
2,646,314
| 4,327,944
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
77.280 years
| 80.710 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Kuwait
| Wellington
|
|
Largest city
|
| As Salimiyah (population: 147,649) | Auckland (population: 417,910) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.912
| 0.944
|
| GDP per capita |
$42,200 US
| $28,000 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
93.3%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
4.3
| 9.3
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
3.1%
| 33.1%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Nasser Al-Kharafi & family ($8.1bn US)
| Graeme Hart ($4.5bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
2.200%
| 6.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
constitutional emirate
| parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
19 June 1961 (from UK)
| 26 September 1907 (from UK)
|
| Religions |
Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%
| Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
|
| Languages |
Arabic (official), English widely spoken
| English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
|
| Exports |
oil and refined products, fertilizers
| dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
|
| External Debt |
$41,730,000,000 $
| $85,650,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2679 (2008 est.), 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004)
| New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
5.300%
| 1.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
0
| 9
|
| Location |
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
| Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
|
| Area |
17,818 km sq
| 267,710 km sq
|
| Coastline |
499 km
| 15,134 km
|
| Climate |
dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
| temperate with sharp regional contrasts
|
|
|
|
