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| History: |
For thousands of years, the severe climate in Kuwait (which means “fortress built near water”) caused constant population shifts. However, in the 18th century, some groups migrated from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula into Kuwait, and one family, the Sabahs, established themselves as rulers.
The economy back then, as with most Middle Eastern countries before the discovery of oil, relied on pearling, and long distance trade, especially with India. The British Empire played two major roles: one was securing the communication with and transportation to India; the other was making Kuwait their protectorate to help in bringing about autonomy from the Ottoman Empire after the ruler, Mubarak al-Sabah, signed a treaty with Britain in 1899. |
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| Oil was discovered in the late 1930’s, and its large scale exportation began after the end of World War II (1939 - 1945); this marked the transformation of the Kuwaiti society: the construction business grew, the economy developed, contact with the outside world improved, and the pan Arab movement was favored by many who sought better ties among the Arab countries. The fact that the government controlled oil revenues also augmented the Sabah family’s power. |
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Kuwait was granted its independence from Britain in 1961, but that caused the beginning of “a series of unfortunate events” with Iraq, which had always argued that Kuwait was actually part of southern Iraq, and that its separation was illicit. However, pressure from Britain as well as many Arab countries caused Iraq to withdraw their argument at the time.
That same year, Kuwait’s emir propagated elections for an assembly which wrote the country’s constitution (in 1962) guaranteeing the Sabah family’s sovereignty. However, it certainly did not deny citizens a role in the government. |
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| The above mentioned not-so-good relations between Kuwait and Iraq led to Saddam Hussein’s mobilizing Iraqi troops on the border, and invading Kuwait on August 2. |
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| In early 1991, an international force was assembled which drove Iraq out of Kuwait after 6 weeks of war. However, through the time during which the Iraqis were evacuating, much of the Kuwaiti industry, infrastructure (including roads and oil wells), and buildings (including royal palaces, government and public buildings) were devastated. Besides the destruction, many important educational and cultural losses were sustained; entire collections from Kuwaiti museums and laboratories were transported to Iraq. Libraries, specifically the collections at Kuwait National Museum and the Kuwait University were also damaged and looted. |
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| After the war, Kuwait underwent major rebuilding. |
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| Climate: |
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| As with most other Gulf countries, the Kuwaiti climate is quite hot and dry during the summer months, basically from April to October, with highs reaching above 51°C during June, July, and August; in April and October the temperatures do not commonly rise above 40°C. |
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| The months of November until February are usually much cooler; the average temperature is around 13°C. There are extreme temperatures during the winter, however, ranging from -2°C to 27°C. |
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| Naturally, the summer months of June - September are the driest, while the wettest are January through March. When warm, moist Persian Gulf air collides with cold air from Europe, thunderstorms and hailstorms take place widely in Kuwait, mostly during the months of November, March, and April; one such case in 1997 caused more than ten inches of rain to fall on Kuwait. |
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| Time and Place: |
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| Kuwait resides on the coast of the Persian Gulf, bordered by Saudi Arabia at the south, and Iraq at the north and west. It is comprised of 9 islands which all have roughly the same elevation, and are deserts: Auhah, Failaka, Kubbar, Miskan, Qaruh, Umm al Maradim, Umm an Namil, Warbah, and Bubiyan, which is the largest island of all, and is linked to the mainland through a concrete bridge. Civilians are not allowed on Bubiyan Island, however, because post Kuwaiti liberation in 1991, it was converted to a military base. |
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| Crossing Borders: |
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| All citizens of other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) states can enter Kuwait without visa. There are 34 nationalities who can obtain entry visas upon arrival. For a detailed list of them, as well as all other visa requirements for kuwait, click here. |
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| Government: |
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| Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy divided into 6 governorates: Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al Asimah, Al Jahra, Hawalli, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer. |
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| The head of state is usually an emir or a sheikh, and the position is hereditary. The prime minister, who until recently used to be the crown prince, is now appointed by the head of state. As head of government, the prime minister is aided by a council of ministers which must usually contain a minimum of one elected Member of Parliament. |
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| The government controls 75% of the Kuwaiti GDP as it has complete power over the oil industry, which, not shockingly, is the country’s main economy booster. Kuwait largely and mainly uses oil for its energy needs, so their oil export rates vary on internal needs, international demands, as well as the quotas set out as to how much oil production a country is allowed. |
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| An interesting fact about suffrage in Kuwait is that until to 2005, only 15% of the Kuwaiti population was allowed to vote! This is because all women, all citizens with less than thirty years' citizenship, and all members of the armed forces were not allowed to vote! |
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| Transportation: |
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| The main means of travel to most Kuwaiti people is by car. |
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| The country has no railway system but plans for an underground metro have been mentioned. |
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| The Kuwait city metropolitan area houses an international airport. There are plans to expand the airport underway, to increase its capacity to 55 million passengers per year. The government’s national airline is Kuwait Airways. |
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| Two private airlines have been granted permission to operate in the airport: Jazeera Airways and Wataniya Airways. |
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| The main commercial seaports are Shuwaikh and Shuaiba. There is also Mina Al Ahmadi, which specialises in oil exports. |
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| Culture and Society: |
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| The Kuwaiti population is roughly 3 - 3.5 million (2007 census), but that includes around 2 million non-nationals; Kuwaiti citizens are actually a minority who reside in Kuwait! |
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| Although the government rarely grants citizenship to expatriates, the population is divided as such: 60-65% Arabs, 30-35% Persians, and 5-10% are referred to as “Others,” and that mostly includes Africans, East Asians, and Europeans. |
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| Large groups of expatriates in Kuwait include Assyrians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, and Indians, who are the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. |
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| Formerly, there were around 12,000 ethnic Armenians in Kuwait, but a mass departure during the Gulf war reduced that amount to a current 5,000. |
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| The Kuwaiti government does not collect racial demographics, so identification cards have no racial or ethnic classifications. |
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| Kuwait has a literacy rate of a sky high 90%; besides the fact that oil revenues have allowed for the building of an extensive educational system, public schools are free and mandatory for group of ages 5 – 18. Kuwait also has institutions of higher learning, and the main ones are the following: Kuwait University is Kuwait's only public university. Private universities include the American University of Kuwait, the Gulf University for Science and Technology, the Australian College of Kuwait, and the Arab Open University. |
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| Designs for creating the one of the biggest seafront projects in the world – Madinat al Hareer, the world’s tallest tower, as well as many housing, health, education, environmental, business, and tourism facilities have been planned; it is obvious that Kuwait will have quite a promising future as one of the major Gulf countries. get kuwait hotels, kuwait accommodation, hotels in kuwait, kuwait hotels reservations, kuwait motel reservation, cheap kuwait hotels booking, kuwait hotels services, stay in kuwait hotels. |
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| Human Rights: |
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| For a detailed report on human rights in Kuwait, click here. |
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