Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate state on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word that means “fortress built near the water.” It has a population of more than 2 million residents and an area of 17,820 km ². Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government of Kuwait City, serving as its political and economic capital. Kuwait has the world’s fifth largest oil reserves and is the world’s ninth richest country per capita.
As a country located in Middle East according to ITYPETRAVEL.COM, Kuwait borders Iraq to the northeast and Saudi Arabia to the south. To the south of the capital of Kuwait there is a neutral zone of 5,700 km2, which this country shares with Saudi Arabia.
Political-administrative organization
Kuwait is divided into 6 provinces (Arabic: muħafazat, singular – muħafadhah).
- Capital (āl-‘Āṣimah)
- Ahmadí (āl-Āħmadī)
- Farwaniya (āl-Farwānīya)
- Hawalli (Ħawallī)
- Mubarak the Great (Mubārak āl-Kabīr)
- Yahra (āl-Jahrā ‘)
The largest cities are the capital Kuwait and Yahra. The main residential and administrative areas are Salmiya and Hawalli. The main industrial area is Shuwaikh, which is located within Al Asimah province.
Geography
Relief
Geomorphologically, the territory, which is an integral part of the Arabian plateau, is made up of the last foothills of the As-Summan desert, whose tabular relief devoid of significant reliefs is covered by sandy sediments.
Climate
The climate is of the desert type, very hot, with very pronounced diurnal and seasonal thermal variations, and with very scarce rainfall (barely 100 mm on average per year in the eastern part).
Vegetation
The vegetation is reduced to thorny bushes, outside of that typical of the oases, little abundant in the territory.
Hydrographic system
The hydrographic system is non-existent, if we except the dry uidian practically throughout the year.
Islands
The coasts, low and sandy, in front of which there are abundant islands and islets, are predominantly irregular and in them the great bay of Kuwait stands out, located in the central part.
Demography
More than half of the population is made up mainly of immigrants from neighboring Arab countries, followed by those from Asia, East Africa and Europe attracted by job openings in the oil industry and its spinoff industries, and by the service sector. Although the average population density is not very high, a third of it is concentrated in the large metropolitan area around the capital, and another third lives in the oil cities on the coast; the rest of the population resides in the small urban centers of the central-eastern and south-eastern regions. Ethnologically, the autochthonous population is made up of southern-type Arabs. Kuwait has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, while the working population constitutes only 10% of the total population.
Idiom
The official language is Arabic, although English is quite widespread.
Economic development
The traditional economy of the country, based on fishing and the pearl trade, was radically modified after the Second World War when the huge oil field of Burgan was discovered; Kuwait is currently one of the world’s leading oil producers (around 50 tons per year). Of great importance are the natural gas fields (more than 700 wells) that take advantage of the impressive network of pipelines connected to the ports and the northeastern network of Saudi Arabia.
Five refineries are operating on Kuwaiti territory, although most of the crude is exported. The industrial sector also comprises of the important plants petrochemical and fertilizer, cement and construction materials, and giant desalination complex waters of the Persian Gulf, of which domestic consumption nourishes. The agriculture and livestock are virtually nonexistent (only practiced in the oases), although the Government is investing all technical and financial resources for its development.
Fishing, quite developed, contributes 0.3% of GDP. The electrical energy produced by plants fueled with natural gas, allow a complete autonomy of the sector. Exports are based on crude oil and products from the chemical industries, while imports include food products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, and non-oil and semi-finished raw materials. The main trading partners are Japan, Germany and the United States The road network stretches along the coastline and connects with those of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The ports of Ash Shuwaykh and Mina al-Ahmadi and the airport of the capital are the main points of international communications.
Social development
Clothing
Many of Kuwait’s older men prefer to wear Dasha plate, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or cotton, while the minority of women wear abaya, a black over-garment that covers most of the body. The outfit is especially suitable for the hot and dry climate of Kuwait. Western-style clothing is very popular among the youth of Kuwait.
Religion
The religion most widely followed in Kuwait is Muslim, practiced by 85 percent of the population. Among them we distinguish the Shiites, who make up 30 percent, the Sunnis, who add up to 45 percent. On the other hand, Christians, Hindus, Persians and other minorities make up the remaining 15 percent.
Gastronomy
Seafood has been the mainstay of the Kuwaiti diet for centuries. Traditional Kuwaiti cuisine includes “Machboos diyay, machboos Laham, maraq diyay Laham” which draws heavily from South Asian cuisine and Arabic cuisine. “Imawash” is another popular dish.
Architecture
Kuwaiti architecture is inspired by Islamic architecture. The most prominent building in the country, the Kuwait Towers, were designed by Swedish architect Sune Lindström and are a unique blend of traditional minaret and modern architectural design. The National Assembly of Kuwait, another landmark building of the city, was designed by the famous Danish architect Jørn Utzon and completed in 1972. Another of the wonders of its architecture is the Jaber bridge.
Music
Sawt is the most prominent style of Kuwaiti music and is performed by oud and mirwas, with a later violin complementing the arrangement. The Bedouin are known for an instrument called the rubabah, while the use of the lute, and tanbarah Habban is also widespread.
Holidays
February 26. Liberation Day (liberation of the Country from Iraqi troops.)
February 25. National holiday
Curiosities
The development of the first oil wells did not begin in the hot, desert territory of Kuwait until 1938, with a relatively small volume of extraction that increased rapidly in the following years. But before the oil exploitation began, the residents of the interior of the country, for the most part nomadic Bedouin, were herdsmen and traders of salt. As for the coast, it was inhabited by small population groups dedicated to fishing and pearl gathering.
