251 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
251 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
KUWAIT
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
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Land boundaries: 462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
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Coastline: 499 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: not specific;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait from
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2 August 1990 until 27 February 1991; in April 1991 official Iraqi
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acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq
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accept its internationally recognized border with Kuwait, ended earlier
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claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; ownership
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of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands disputed by Saudi Arabia
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Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
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Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
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Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
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Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
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pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: some of world's largest and most sophisticated
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desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution;
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desertification
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Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
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PEOPLE
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Population: 2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 2 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Kuwaiti(s); adjective--Kuwaiti
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Ethnic divisions: Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%,
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Iranian 4%, other 20.1%
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Religion:
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Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi,
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and other 15%
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Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken
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Literacy: 74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1985)
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Labor force: 566,000 (1986); services 45.0%, construction 20.0%,
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trade 12.0%, manufacturing 8.6%, finance and real estate 2.6%,
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agriculture 1.9%, power and water 1.7%, mining and quarrying 1.4%; 70% of
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labor force was non-Kuwaiti
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Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among
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government personnel
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: State of Kuwait
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Type: nominal constitutional monarchy
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Capital: Kuwait
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Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat,
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singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt,
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Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah
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Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
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Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29
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August 1962)
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Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in
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personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: National Day, 25 February
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Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
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Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved
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3 July 1986
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Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Amir Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-SABAH
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(since 31 December 1977);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sad
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al-Abdallah al-Salim al-SABAH (since 8 February 1978); Deputy
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Prime Minister Salim al-Sabah al-Salim al-SABAH
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Political parties and leaders: none
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Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their
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male descendants at age 21; note--out of all citizens, only 8.3% are
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eligible to vote and only 3.5% actually vote
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Elections:
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National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are
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scheduled for October 1992
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Communists: insignificant
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Other political or pressure groups: large (150,000) Palestinian
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community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist
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groups are active; prodemocracy opposition
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Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO,
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G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
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IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
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LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
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WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Shaykh Saud Nasir al-SABAH;
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Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
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telephone (202) 966-0702;
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US--Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar
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(opposite the Hilton Hotel), Kuwait City (mailing address is P. O. Box 77
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Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait City); telephone 965 242-4151 through 4159
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and
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red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Up to the invasion by Iraq in August 1990, the oil
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sector had dominated the economy. Kuwait has the third-largest
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oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Earnings from
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hydrocarbons generated over 90% of both export and government revenues
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and contributed about 40% to GDP. Most of the nonoil sector has
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traditionally been dependent upon oil-derived government revenues.
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Iraq's destruction of Kuwait's oil industry during the Gulf war
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has devastated the economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80%
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of Kuwait's 950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaging key surface
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facilities. Western firefighters had brought about 140 of the 600
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oil well fires and blowouts under control as of early June 1991.
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It could take two to three years to restore Kuwait's oil production to
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its prewar level of about 2.0 million barrels per day.
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GDP: $19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5%
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(1989)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: 0% (1989)
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Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
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Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--oil 90%;
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partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US
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Imports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--food, construction materials, vehicles and parts,
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clothing;
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partners--Japan, US, FRG, UK
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External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for
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52% of GDP
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Electricity: 8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced,
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5,000 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food
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processing, salt, construction
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Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about
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75% of potable water must be distilled or imported
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Economic aid: donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less
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developed countries (1979-89)
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Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (plural--dinars);
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1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
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Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1--0.2915 (January
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1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007
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(1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand,
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light gravel
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Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas,
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165 km
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Ports: Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi
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Merchant marine: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,332,159
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GRT/2,099,303 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 4 livestock carrier,
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20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 1 bulk;
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note--all Kuwaiti ships greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti
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waters at the time of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred
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to the Liberian flag or to the flags of other Persian Gulf states;
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Kuwaiti tankers are currently managed from London and Kuwaiti cargo and
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container ships are managed from Dubai
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Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: excellent international, adequate domestic
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facilities; 258,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV; satellite
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earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; 1
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INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq and Saudi
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Arabia
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National
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Guard
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for
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military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990)
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