lion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners: Japan 23%, US 12%, Singapore 8%, Netherlands 7%
(1999)

Imports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: food, construction materials, vehicles and
parts, clothing

Imports - partners: US 15%, Japan 10%, UK 7%, Germany 7% (1999)

Debt - external: $6.9 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $27.6 million (1995)

Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)

Currency code: KWD

Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3057 (January
2001), 0.3067 (2000), 0.3044 (1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997),
0.2994 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Kuwait Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 412,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 210,000 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: the quality of service is
excellent

domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, open wire, and fiber-optic cable; a cellular
telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well
supplied with pay telephones

international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG)
cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2
Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 1.175 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus several satellite channels)
(1997)

Televisions: 875,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .kw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)

Internet users: 100,000 (2000)

Kuwait Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 4,450 km

paved: 3,590 km

unpaved: 860 km (1999 est.)

Waterways: none

Pipelines: crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas
165 km

Ports and harbors: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd
Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud

Merchant marine: total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
2,461,072 GRT/3,966,645 DWT

ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 6, container 6, liquefied gas 7,
livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20 (2000 est.)

Airports: 8 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 4

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: to