(19 June: National Day)
It is a country of the Arabian Peninsula located in the northwestern corner of
the Persian Gulf. Kuwait is bounded to the west and north by Iraq, to the east
by the Persian Gulf, and to the south by Saudi Arabia. Kuwait is a small emirate
situated in a section of one of the driest, least-hospitable deserts on the
earth. With the passage of time and with accumulated wealth, the small emirate
grew to become Kuwait city, a modern metropolis mingling skyscrapers, apartment
buildings, and mosques. Kuwait city has most of the country's population, which
makes Kuwait one of the world's most urbanized countries. Kuwait is largely a
desert, except for Al-Jahra oasis, at the western end of Kuwait Bay, and a few
fertile patches in the southeastern and coastal areas. Kuwaiti territory
includes nine offshore islands, the largest of which are the uninhabited Būbiyān
and Al-Warbah. The island of Faylakah, which is located near the entrance of
Kuwait Bay, has been populated since prehistoric times.
The climate is desert, tempered somewhat in the coastal regions by the warm
waters of the gulf. If there is enough rainfall, the desert turns green from
mid-March to the end of April. But during the dry season, between April and
September, the heat is severe—daytime temperatures ordinarily reach 44 °C and on
occasion approach 54 °C.. Annual rainfall averages only from 1 to 7 inches,
chiefly between October and April, though cloudbursts can bring more than 2
inches of rain in a single day. Kuwait has no permanent surface water, either in
the form of standing bodies such as lakes or in the form of flows such as
perennial rivers. Intermittent water courses are localized and generally
terminate in interior desert basins. Little precipitation is absorbed beyond the
surface level, with most being lost to evaporation. Except in the new green belt
of Kuwait city and in a few desert oases where cultivation and irrigation are
carried out, the vegetation consists of scrub and low bushes and ephemeral grass
in the spring. The harsh climate limits mammals to the occasional gazelle, fox,
or civet. Among lizards are the rare and venomous sand viper and the monitor and
vegetarian dab lizards.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, one ruler of Kuwait, Abdu-Allah II
(reigned 1866–92), began to move Kuwait closer to the Ottoman Empire. This trend
was reversed with the accession of Mubārak , who came to power by assassinating
his brother Abdu-Allah —an act of uncustomary political violence in Kuwait.
Ottoman threats to annex Kuwait prompted Mubārak to cultivate a close
relationship with Britain. An 1899 treaty basically granted Britain control of
Kuwait's foreign affairs. Following the outbreak of World War I (1914–18),
Kuwait became a British protectorate. After second World war On June 19, 1961,
Britain recognized Kuwait's independence.
The old town of Kuwait, although located in a harsh desert climate, opened onto
an excellent sheltered harbor. Kuwait developed in the 18th and 19th centuries
as a trading city, relying on the pearl banks of the gulf as well as on
long-distance sea and caravan traffic. The old city—facing the sea and bounded
landward from 1918 to 1954 by a mud wall, the gates of which led out into the
desert—was compact, only 5 square miles in area; its typical dwelling was a
courtyard house. After the discovery of oil in the 1930s and the petroleum
industry's rapid expansion, Kuwait city underwent a transformation. The ensuing
urban explosion led to the destruction of the semicircular city wall ,its gates
were preserved as a reminder of the early years, and city planners formally laid
out new suburbs. The government invested large portions of oil revenues in
infrastructure and urban development, creating in the process a modern
metropolis.
Kuwaitis remain a minority in their own country. Nearly two-thirds of the
population are expatriate workers, formerly from other Arab states but now
largely from South and Southeast Asia. These non nationals do not enjoy
citizenship rights, economic or political, which are reserved for Kuwaiti
citizens—defined as those able to prove Kuwaiti ancestry prior to 1920.
Naturalization is strictly limited. Arabs constitute the largest ethnic group,
and a small number of ethnic Persians have resided in the country for centuries.
The native and official language is Arabic, fluency in which is a requirement
for naturalization. Kuwaitis speak a dialect of Gulf Arabic, and Modern Standard
Arabic is taught in schools. English is the second language taught in public
schools. Hindi, Urdu, Persian, and other languages also are widely spoken among
the foreign population. Kuwaiti citizens are almost entirely Muslim, and a law
passed in 1981 limits citizenship to Muslims.
Until the Iraqi invasion, Palestinians, some of them third-generation residents
of Kuwait, were the largest single expatriate group, numbering perhaps 400,000.
Popular Palestinian support for Iraq during the war and persistent Palestinian
demands for political inclusion led the Kuwaiti government to deport most of
them following the restoration of authority, and by early 1992 their number had
fallen to 50,000. They have been largely replaced by Egyptians, Syrians,
Iranians, and South Asians.
Fish are plentiful in the Persian Gulf, and fishing in Kuwait was a leading
industry before the discovery of oil. Virtually all of Kuwait's wealth is
derived directly or indirectly, by way of overseas investments, from petroleum
extraction and processing. The most dramatic element of Kuwait's economic
development has been the steady and rapid expansion of its oil industry since
the 1970s. This oil income and the investment income it generated gave Kuwait
one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Other sectors of Kuwait's
economy are weak by comparison; agriculture, manufacturing, and trade each
constitute only a small proportion of gross domestic product. The possibilities
of agricultural development are severely limited. Only a small amount of the
land is arable, and, because of scarcity of water, soil deficiencies, and lack
of workers trained in agricultural skills, only a portion of that land area is
under actual cultivation. Agriculture's contribution, therefore, is
insignificant to the output of the economy. Kuwait has nearly one-tenth of the
world's proven oil reserves. Kuwait's proven recoverable reserves are thought to
be enough to sustain current production levels for some 150 years. Kuwait also
has considerable natural gas reserves, almost all in the form of associated gas.
There are no other important minerals.
For fresh water in earlier days, people depended on a few artesian wells and on
rainwater collected from the roofs of houses or from cisterns at ground level.
With the rapid growth of population, however, the government of Kuwait built
desalination plants at Kuwait city. Although there are no railways in the
country, Kuwait has a modern road system linking it with its neighbors, as well
as a large international airport, Kuwait International Airport, which is located
just south of the capital. Kuwait Airways Corporation, a state-owned enterprise,
serves a number of international routes.
Since gaining independence from Britain in 1961, Kuwait has been governed by an
emir from the Ṣabāḥ family. The emir rules through a Council of
Ministers—consisting largely of members of his own family—that he himself
appoints. Legislative power rests in the National Assembly, whose 50 members are
elected to four-year terms. This parliament, however, was suspended in 1976, in
1985, and again in 1999.There are several lower courts and a system of appeals
courts. The emir sometimes acts as the final court of appeal. In lieu of
political parties, which are prohibited in Kuwait, several quasi-political
organizations have representatives in the parliament. Voting is limited to
natural-born Kuwaiti men who are at least 21 years old; servicemen and police
are barred from voting. Under these qualifications, approximately one-tenth of
the population forms the electorate. Beginning in the 1990s, attempts to extend
suffrage to women increased. In 1999 the emir announced that he would allow
women to vote in future elections; the franchise was officially granted in 2005.
Kuwait's military expenditure per capita is among the highest in the world. Such
spending is largely a result of the hostile relationship with Iraq; after the
Persian Gulf War, Kuwait undertook significant measures to modernize and
increase its armed forces. U.S. troops have been stationed there since the early
1990s, and Kuwait also has defense agreements with other countries, including
Russia, the United Kingdom, and France.
Kuwait has a comprehensive scheme of social welfare. The needy receive financial
assistance; loans are provided to the handicapped to start businesses; the
disabled can get treatment and training; and education is available for adult
illiterates. The Ministry of Social Affairs offers a program that provides
adequate, affordable housing, fully equipped with modern facilities, for
citizens with limited incomes. About four-fifths of the population is literate.
General education in Kuwait is compulsory for native Kuwaitis between the ages
of 6 and 14. It is entirely free and also includes school meals, books,
uniforms, transportation, and medical attention. Non-Kuwaiti students typically
attend private schools.