Kuwait
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Where is Kuwait located?
Kuwait is a country on the Arabian Peninsula, situated in the northwestern corner of the Persian Gulf. Slightly larger than Hawaii, Kuwait shares borders with Iraq to the west and north, the Persian Gulf to the east, and Saudi Arabia to the south.
Kuwait's territory includes nine offshore islands, with Būbiyān and Al-Warbah being the largest. Most of the country is desert, with some fertile areas in the southeast and along the coast. Kuwait Bay, a deep harbor on the Persian Gulf, is where Bedouins founded a trading post in the 18th century, which eventually became Kuwait City.
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What is the capital city of Kuwait?
The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City. Situated on the southern shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, the city was established in the early 18th century when a group of families migrated to the coast from the Arabian Peninsula.
Once a small, mud-walled city, Kuwait City thrived on fishing, pearling, and trade. Following the development of Kuwait's petroleum industry after World War II, it rapidly grew into a flourishing administrative, commercial, and financial center. The old wall was removed in 1957, and today, Kuwait City is a modern metropolis with skyscrapers, apartment buildings, and mosques.
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What type of government does Kuwait have?
Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a single legislative body National Assembly. The current monarch is Emir Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, assisted by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah.
The emir governs through a Council of Ministers, largely composed of his family members, whom he appoints. The 50 members of the National Assembly are elected to four-year terms. Cabinet ministers are also included in the parliament, which has been dissolved several times. Political parties are prohibited; however, quasi-political organizations have representation in parliament.
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Why is oil important to Kuwait's economy?
Oil is extremely important to Kuwait's economy, with virtually all of the nation's wealth derived directly or indirectly from petroleum extraction and processing. The steady and rapid expansion of its oil industry since the 1970s has been the most dramatic element of Kuwait’s economic development. Kuwait has nearly one-tenth of the world’s proven oil reserves, enough to sustain current production levels for about 150 years. The country also has considerable natural gas reserves.
The income generated by oil and overseas investments gave Kuwait one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Petroleum and petroleum-derived products account for almost all of Kuwait’s exports, with Asia and the Middle East being the most important markets.
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How did the Gulf War affect Kuwait?
The Gulf War had a profound impact on Kuwait, affecting every aspect of life in the country. The invasion and occupation by Iraq in 1990 led to more than half of Kuwait's population fleeing. The damage from the invasion, looting, and war became clear as hundreds of thousands of Kuwaitis returned from foreign refuges to their homes in May 1991.
During their retreat, Iraqi troops set fire to over 700 of Kuwait’s oil wells, causing an environmental disaster that affected the entire region. By the fall of 1991, the fires had been extinguished, and production soon returned to preinvasion levels.
The UN formally delimited the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border in 1992, which was generally favourable to Kuwait.
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What are some important cultural traditions in Kuwait?
Kuwait embraces aspects of Western culture while maintaining its culturally conservative Arab-Islamic heritage. This is reflected in a return to traditional customs, such as women increasingly wearing the hijab.
Key aspects of Kuwaiti culture:
* Diwāniyyah Regular gatherings of men for socializing
* Islamic holidays Kuwaitis observe major Islamic holidays, including Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha.
* National holidays Independence Day and Liberation Day are important secular holidays.
* Folk arts Bedouin crafts, especially weaving, are prominent. Traditional dances like the ʿarḍah, featuring swords and poetry, are also popular.
* Cuisine Fūl, falafel, and hummus form the basis of Kuwaiti cuisine.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
News •
Kuwait, country of the Arabian Peninsula located in the northwestern corner of the Persian Gulf.
A small emirate nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait is situated in a section of one of the driest, least-hospitable deserts on Earth. Its shore, however, includes Kuwait Bay, a deep harbour on the Persian Gulf. There, in the 18th century, Bedouin from the interior founded a trading post. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic diminutive of the Hindustani kūt (“fort”). Since the emirate’s ruling family, the Āl Ṣabāḥ, formally established a sheikhdom in 1756, the country’s fortunes have been linked to foreign commerce. In time and with accumulated wealth, the small fort 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.
- Head Of State And Government:
- Emir: Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, assisted by Prime Minister: Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah
- Capital:
- Kuwait (city)
- Population:
- (2026 est.) 5,149,000
- Currency Exchange Rate:
- 1 USD equals 0.311 Kuwaiti dinar
- Form Of Government:
- constitutional monarchy with one legislative house (National Assembly [501])
- Official Language:
- Arabic
- Official Religion:
- Islam
- Official Name:
- دولة الكويت (Dawlat al-Kuwayt; “State of Kuwait”)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 17,818
- Total Area (Sq Mi):
- 6,880
- Monetary Unit:
- Kuwaiti dinar (KD)
- Population Rank:
- (2026) 127
- Population Projection 2030:
- 5,408,000
- Density: Persons Per Sq Mi:
- (2026) 748.4
- Density: Persons Per Sq Km:
- (2026) 289
- Urban-Rural Population:
- Urban: (2024) 100%
- Rural: (2024) 0%
- Life Expectancy At Birth:
- Male: (2021) 77.3 years
- Female: (2021) 81.8 years
- Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000):
- (2024) 199,681
- Gni Per Capita (U.S.$):
- (2024) 40,770
- Excludes 15 cabinet ministers not elected to the National Assembly serving ex officio.
The tiny country, which was a British protectorate from 1899 until 1961, drew world attention in 1990 when Iraqi forces invaded and attempted to annex it. A United Nations coalition led by the United States drove Iraq’s army out of Kuwait within days of launching an offensive in February 1991, but the retreating invaders looted the country and set fire to most of its oil wells (see Persian Gulf War). Kuwait has largely recovered from the effects of the war and again has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Its generally conservative government continues to provide generous material benefits for Kuwaiti citizens, and, though conservative elements in its society resisted such reforms as women’s suffrage (women were not enfranchised until 2005), it has remained relatively stable. It has been called an “oasis” of peace and safety amid an otherwise turbulent region.
Land
Slightly larger in area than the U.S. state of Hawaii, 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 largely a desert, except for Al-Jahrāʾ 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.
A territory of 2,200 square miles (5,700 square km) along the gulf was shared by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as a neutral zone until a political boundary was agreed on in 1969. Each of the two countries now administers half of the territory (called the Neutral, or Partitioned, Zone), but they continue to share equally the revenues from oil production in the entire area. Although the boundary with Saudi Arabia is defined, the border with Iraq remains in dispute.
Relief
The relief of Kuwait is generally flat or gently undulating, broken only by occasional low hills and shallow depressions. The elevations range from sea level in the east to 951 feet (290 metres) above sea level at Al-Shiqāyā peak, in the western corner of the country. The Al-Zawr Escarpment, one of the main topographic features, borders the northwestern shore of Kuwait Bay and rises to a maximum elevation of 475 feet (145 metres). Elsewhere in coastal areas, large patches of salty marshland have developed. Throughout the northern, western, and central sections of Kuwait, there are desert basins, which fill with water after winter rains; historically these basins formed important watering places, refuges for the camel herds of the Bedouin.
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Drainage
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 (wadis) are localized and generally terminate in interior desert basins. Little precipitation is absorbed beyond the surface level, with most being lost to evaporation.
Soils
True soils scarcely exist naturally in Kuwait. Those that exist are of little agricultural productivity and are marked by an extremely low amount of organic matter. Eolian soils and other sedimentary deposits are common, and a high degree of salinity is found, particularly in basins and other locations where residual water pools. One of the environmental consequences of the Persian Gulf War was the widespread destruction of the desert’s rigid surface layer, which held underlying sand deposits in place; this has led to an increase in wind-borne sand and the creation of larger and more numerous sand dunes in the country.