Government

Kuwait began as a monarchy, ruled by an emir (prince) from the al-Sabah family. The title of emir is semi-hereditary, with cousins from the al-Sabah inheriting the title after the previous emir passes away. However after gaining its independence in 1961, a constitution was created, based loosley on Islamic law, that established the National Assembly. The National Assembly is a democratically-elected parliament of 50 members, with elections being held every 4 years. Kuwait is a member of the United Nations as well as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The current emir of Kuwait is Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah, who has ruled Kuwait since 1977. The current heir is Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah.

Economy

Kuwait has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, with a GDP of $41.5 billion in 2003. Although oil exportation is responsible for much of the wealth in Kuwait, foreign investments garnered more income than oil exports by 1990. Approximately 2.3 million barrels of oil are produced per day, 2 million of which are exported. Leading purchasers of Kuwaiti oil are Japan, South Korea, and the United States.

Since Kuwait's land is a desert, there is very little in terms of agricultural activity. Leading industries are petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, and construction materials. Kuwait imports most of its food, along with many other goods, with chief sources of imports being the United States, Japan, and Germany. Kuwait's economy is relatively open, and the government does not impose any taxes. Kuwait's currency is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD), which is the most valuable currency in the world, with 1 KWD being equivalent to $3.43 as of time of writing.

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