Kuwait

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the modern country in the Persian Gulf. For the former autonomous
state in southern Arabia, see Qu'aiti.
State of Kuwait

Dawlat al-Kuwait

Flag

Emblem

Anthem: "Al-Nasheed Al-Watani"

"National Anthem"

MENU

0:00

Location of Kuwait (red)

in the Arabian Peninsula (light yellow)

Capital
and largest city

Kuwait City
2922N 4758E

Official languages

Arabic
60% Arab (31.3%

Ethnic groups

Arabs)

[1]

37.8% Asian

1.9% African

Religion

Islam

Demonym

Kuwaiti

Government

Unitary parliamentary
constitutional monarchy[1]

- Emir

Sabah al-Sabah

- Crown Prince

Nawaf al-Sabah

- Prime Minister

Jaber al-Sabah

Legislature

National Assembly

Establishment
- Independence from the Emirate

1752

of Al Hasa
- Anglo-Ottoman Convention

1913

- End of treaties with the United

19 June 1961

Kingdom

Area
- Total

17,820 km2 (157th)

6,880 sq mi

- Water (%)

negligible

Population
- 2014 estimate

4,044,500 (140th)

- 2005 census

2,213,403 [2]

- Density

200.2/km2 (61st)
518.4/sq mi

GDP (PPP)

2014 estimate

- Total

$283.976 billion[3] (52nd)

- Per capita

$71,020[3] (5th)

GDP (nominal)

2014 estimate

- Total

$172.350 billion[3] (55th)

- Per capita

$43,103[3] (23rd)

HDI (2013)

0.814[4]
very high 46th

Kuwaiti, 27.9% other

Currency

Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)

Time zone

AST / KSA (UTC+3)

- Summer (DST)

not observed (UTC+3)

Date format

dd/mm/yyyy (CE)

Drives on the

right

Calling code

+965

ISO 3166 code

KW

Internet TLD

.kw

a.

Nominal succession within the House of Sabah.

b.

Emirate

You may need rendering

support to display the Arabic
text in this article correctly.

Kuwait /kuwet/ (Arabic: Dawlat al-Kuwait), officially the State of Kuwait,

is a country in Western Asia. Situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of
the Persian Gulf, it shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As of 2014, Kuwait has a
population of 4.1 million people; 1.2 million are Kuwaitis and 2.8 million are expatriates.
i

[5]

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Kuwait was a prosperous trade port.
Starting in the early 20th century, its regional economic importance declined, and by
1934 Kuwait had lost its prominence in long-distance trade. Kuwait's economy was
devastated by several trade blockades, starting with the British Empire's blockade during
World War I. Following the Kuwait-Najd War of 191920, Saudi Arabia imposed a trade
blockade against the country from 1923 until 1937.
[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10][11]

[9][12]

Oil reserves were discovered in 1938. From 1946 to 1982, the country underwent largescale modernization. In the 1980s, Kuwait experienced a period of geopolitical instability
and an economic crisis following the stock market crash. In 1990, Kuwait was invaded by
Iraq. The Iraqi occupation came to an end in 1991 after military intervention by United
States-led forces. At the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to revive the
economy and rebuild national infrastructure.
Kuwait is a constitutional emirate with a high income economy backed by the
world's sixth largest oil reserves. The Kuwaiti dinar is the highest valued currency in the
world. The country ranks highly in regional comparisons of protection of civil liberties,
press freedom and constitutionalism.
In recent years, political instability has
hindered the country's economic diversification.
[13]

[16]

[14][15]

[17][18][15][16]

[19][20]

Map of Kuwait.

Contents
[hide]

1 History

o
o
o

1.1 Early history

1.2 Golden Era (194682)
1.3 1980s to present day
2 Politics

o
o
o
o

2.1 Media
2.2 Law
2.3 Foreign relations
2.4 Military
3 Geography

o
o

3.1 Climate
3.2 Governorates
4 Economy
5 Demographics

o
o
o

5.1 Ethnic groups

5.2 Religion
5.3 Languages
6 Culture

o
o
o
o

6.1 Theatre
6.2 Soap operas
6.3 Arts
6.4 Literature
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links

History[edit]
Main article: History of Kuwait

Early history[edit]
In 1613, the town of Kuwait was founded in modern-day Kuwait City. In 1716, the Bani
Utubs settled in Kuwait. At the time of the arrival of the Utubs, Kuwait was inhabited by a
few fishermen and primarily functioned as a fishing village. In the eighteenth century,
Kuwait prospered and rapidly became the principal commercial center for the transit of
[21]

goods between India, Muscat,Baghdad and Arabia. By the mid 1700s, Kuwait had
already established itself as the major trading route from the Persian Gulf to Aleppo.
[22][23]

[24]

During the Persian siege of Basra in 177579, Iraqi merchants took refuge in Kuwait and
were partly instrumental in the expansion of Kuwait's boat-building and trading activities.
As a result, Kuwait's maritime commerce boomed. Between the years 1775 and 1779,
the Indian trade routes with Baghdad, Aleppo, Smyrna and Constantinople were diverted
to Kuwait. The East India Company was diverted to Kuwait in 1792. The East India
Company secured the sea routes between Kuwait, India and the east coasts of Africa.
After the Persians withdrew from Basra in 1779, Kuwait continued to attract trade away
from Basra.
[25]

[25]

[24][26]

[27]

[27]

[28]

Kuwait was the center of boat building in the Persian Gulf region. During the late
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, vessels made in Kuwait carried the bulk of trade
between the ports of India, East Africa and the Red Sea.
Kuwaiti ship vessels were
renowned throughout the Indian Ocean. Regional geopolitical turbulence helped
foster economic prosperity in Kuwait in the second half of the 18th century. Kuwait
became prosperous due to Basra's instability in the late 18th century. In the late 18th
century, Kuwait partly functioned as a haven for Basra's merchants fleeing Ottoman
government persecution. According to Palgrave, Kuwaitis developed a reputation as the
best sailors in the Persian Gulf.
[29][30]

[31][32][33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[34][38][39]

During the reign of Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwait was dubbed the "Marseilles of the Gulf"
because its economic vitality attracted a large variety of people. In the early 20th
century, Kuwait immensely declined in regional economic importance, mainly due to
many trade blockades and the world economic depression. Before Mary Bruins
Allison visited Kuwait in 1934, Kuwait lost its prominence in long distance trade.
During World War I, the British Empire imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait
becauseKuwait's ruler supported the Ottoman Empire. The British economic blockade
heavily damaged Kuwait's economy.
[40]

[8]

[9]

[8]

[10][11]

[11]

The Great Depression negatively impacted Kuwait's economy starting in the late 1920s.
International trading was one of Kuwait's main sources of income before oil. Kuwaiti
merchants were mostly intermediary merchants. As a result of European decline of
demand for goods from India and Africa, the economy of Kuwait suffered. The decline in
international trade resulted in an increase in gold smuggling by Kuwaiti ships to India.
Some Kuwaiti merchant families became rich due to gold smuggling to India. Kuwait's
pearling industry also collapsed as a result of the worldwide economic depression. At its
height, Kuwait's pearling industry led the world's luxury market, regularly sending out
between 750 and 800 ship vessels to meet the European elite's need for pearls. During
the economic depression, luxuries like pearls were in little demand. The Japanese
invention of cultured pearls also contributed to the collapse of Kuwait's pearling industry.
[12]

[12]

[12]

[12]

[41]

[41]

[41]

[41]

[41]

Following the KuwaitNajd War of 191920, Ibn Saud imposed a trade blockade against
Kuwait from the years 1923 until 1937. The goal of the Saudi economic and military
attacks on Kuwait was to annex as much of Kuwait's territory as possible. At the Uqair
conference in 1922, the boundaries of Kuwait and Najd were set. Kuwait had no
representative at the Uqair conference. Ibn Saud persuaded Sir Percy Cox to give him
two-thirds of Kuwait's territory. More than half of Kuwait was lost due to Uqair. After the
Uqair conference, Kuwait was still subjected to a Saudi economic blockade and
intermittent Saudi raiding.
[9][12]

[9]

[9]

[9]

[9]

[9]

[9]

In 1937, Freya Stark wrote about the extent of poverty in Kuwait at the time:

[12]

Poverty has settled in Kuwait more heavily since my last visit five years ago, both by sea,
where the pearl trade continues to decline, and by land, where the blockade established
by Saudi Arabia now harms the merchants.
Some merchant families left Kuwait in the early 1930s due to the prevalence of economic
hardship. At the time of the discovery of oil in 1937, most of Kuwait's inhabitants were
impoverished.

Golden Era (194682)[edit]

From 1946 to 1982, Kuwait experienced a period of prosperity driven by oil and its liberal
atmosphere.
In popular discourse, the years between 1946 and 1982 are referred to
as the "Golden Era".
In 1950, a major public-work programme began to enable
Kuwaitis to enjoy a modern standard of living. By 1952, the country became the largest
oil exporter in the Persian Gulf region. This massive growth attracted many foreign
workers, especially from Palestine, Egypt and India. In June 1961, Kuwait became
independent with the end of the British protectorate and the sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim AlSabah became an Emir. Under the terms of the newly drafted constitution, Kuwait held its
first parliamentary elections in 1963. Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish a
constitution and parliament.
[42][43][44]

[42][43][44][45]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Kuwait was the most developed country in the region.
Kuwait
was the pioneer in the Middle East in diversifying its earnings away from oil exports.
The Kuwait Investment Authority is the world's first sovereign wealth fund. From the
1970s onward, Kuwait scored highest of all Arab countries on the Human Development
Index. Kuwait University was established in 1966. Kuwait's theatre industry was wellknown throughout the Arab world.
[46][47][48]

[49]

[48]

[48]

[42][48]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Kuwait's press was described as one of the freest in the world.
Kuwait was the pioneer in the literary renaissance in the Arab region. In 1958, Al
Arabi magazine was first published, the magazine went on to become the most popular
magazine in the Arab world. Many Arab writers moved to Kuwait for freedom of
expression because Kuwait had greater freedom of expression than elsewhere in the
Arab world. The Iraqi poet Ahmed Matar left Iraq in the 1970s to take refuge in the
more liberal environment of Kuwait.
[50]

[51]

[51]

[52][53]

[54]

Kuwaiti society embraced liberal and Western attitudes throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Most Kuwaiti women did not wear the hijab in the 1960s and 1970s. At Kuwait
University, mini-skirts were more common than the hijab.
[55]

[56][57]

[58]

1980s to present day[edit]

In the early 1980s, Kuwait experienced a major economic crisis after the Souk Al-Manakh
stock market crash and decrease in oil price.
[59]

During the Iran-Iraq war, Kuwait supported Iraq. Throughout the 1980s, there were
several terror attacks in Kuwait, including the 1983 Kuwait bombings, hijacking of several
Kuwait Airways planes and attempted assassination of Emir Jaber in 1985. Kuwait was a
regional hub of science and technology in the 1960s and 1970s up until the early 1980s,
the scientific research sector significantly suffered due to the terror attacks.
[60]

[60]

Oil fires in Kuwait in 1991, which were a result of the scorched earthpolicy of Iraqi military forces retreating from Kuwait.

After the Iran-Iraq war ended, Kuwait declined an Iraqi request to forgive its US$65 billion
debt. An economic rivalry between the two countries ensued after Kuwait increased its
oil production by 40 percent. Tensions between the two countries increased further in
July 1990, after Iraq complained to OPEC claiming that Kuwait was stealing its oil from a
field near the border by slant drilling of the Rumaila field.
[61]

[62]

[62]

In August 1990, Iraqi forces invaded and annexed Kuwait. After a series of failed
diplomatic negotiations, the United States led a coalition to remove the Iraqi forces from
Kuwait, in what became known as the Gulf War. On 26 February 1991, the coalition
succeeded in driving out the Iraqi forces. As they retreated, Iraqi forces carried out
a scorched earth policy by setting oil wells on fire. During the Iraqi occupation, more
than 1,000 Kuwaiti civilians were killed. In addition, more than 600 Kuwaitis
went missing during Iraq's occupation, approximately 375 remains were found in mass
graves in Iraq.
[63]

[64]

[65]

In March 2003, Kuwait became the springboard for the US-led invasion of Iraq. Upon the
death of the Emir Jaber, in January 2006, Saad Al-Sabah succeeded him but was
removed nine days later by the Kuwaiti parliament due to his ailing health. Sabah AlSabah was sworn in as Emir. In 20112012, there were protests calling for reforms. The
parliament was dissolved in December 2011 due to protests against the parliament. The
prime minister stepped down following protests.
In June 2015, a suicide bombing took place at a Shia mosque. It was the largest terror
attack in Kuwait's history.

Politics[edit]
Main articles: Politics of Kuwait, Government of Kuwait and National Assembly of Kuwait

Kuwait National Assembly Building

Kuwait is a constitutional emirate with a semi-democratic political system.

The Emir is the head of state. The hybrid political system is divided between an elected
parliament and appointed government (dominated by the ruling family).
[18][66][67]

[68]

[69][70]

The Constitution of Kuwait was promulgated in 1962. Kuwait is among the Middle East's
freest countries in civil liberties and political rights.
Freedom House rates the country
as "Partly Free" in the Freedom in the World survey. Kuwait is the only Gulf state that is
ranked "partly free".
[14][16][18][71]

[72]

[71]

Human rights in Kuwait has been the subject of criticism, particularly regarding migrant
workers rights and the Bedoon. Expatriates account for 70% of Kuwait's total population.
The kafala system leaves migrant workers prone to exploitation. Human rights
organizations have criticized Kuwait for failing to protect foreign workers from
exploitation.

Media[edit]
Kuwait's media is annually classified as "partly free" in the Freedom of Press survey by
Freedom House. Kuwait's media is the freest in the Gulf region. Kuwait consistently
ranks as having the freest media in the Arab world.
[73]

[15][74]

[17][75][76]

Since 2005, Kuwait has frequently earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries in the
annual Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.
In 2009, 2011,
2013 and 2014, Kuwait surpassed Israel as the country with the greatest press freedom
[77]

[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]

in the Middle East.

Kuwait is also frequently ranked as the Arab country with the
greatest press freedom in Freedom House's annual Freedom of Press survey.
[78][79][80][81][85]

[17][87][88][89][90][91][92]

Kuwait produces more newspapers and magazines per capita than its neighbors.
There are limits to Kuwait's press freedom, criticism of the government and ruling family
members is permitted but many people have been jailed for defaming the Emir. Kuwait's
constitution criminalizes criticism of the Emir.
[93]

[94]

[95]

Law[edit]
Kuwait follows the "civil law system" modeled after the French legal system,
Kuwait's
legal system is largely secular.
Sharia law governs only family law for Muslim
residents,
non-Muslims in Kuwait have a secular family law. For the application
of family law, there are three separate court sections: Sunni, Shia and non-Muslim.
According to the United Nations, Kuwait's legal system is a mix of British common
law, French civil law, Egyptian civil law and Islamic law.
[96][97][98]

[99][100][101]

[100][102]

[103]

[104]

The court system in Kuwait is secular.

Unlike other Gulf states, Kuwait does not have
Sharia courts. Sections of the civil court system administer family law. Kuwait has the
most secular commercial law in the Gulf.
[105][106]

[106]

[106]

[107]

Foreign relations[edit]
Main article: Foreign relations of Kuwait

Location of diplomatic missions of Kuwait:

Kuwait
Embassy

Foreign affairs relations of Kuwait is handled at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The first foreign affairs department bureau was established in 1961. Kuwait became the
111th member state of the United Nations in May 1963. It is a long-standing member of
the Arab League and Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
Before the Gulf War, Kuwait was the only "pro-Soviet" state in the Gulf. Kuwait acted as
a conduit for the Soviets to the other Gulf states and Kuwait was used to demonstrate the
benefits of a pro-Soviet stance. Between 1961 and 1991, Kuwait had an uneasy
relationship with the United States characterized by mistrust and hostility. In July 1987,
Kuwait refused to allow U.S. military bases in its territory. As a result of theGulf War,
Kuwait's relations with the U.S. have improved significantly and currently hosts
thousands of US military personnel and contractors within active U.S. facilities. Kuwait is
one of America's closest allies in the Middle East and the Arab World.
[108]

[108]

[109]

[110]

Military[edit]
The Military of Kuwait traces its original roots to the Kuwaiti cavalrymen and infantrymen
that used to protect Kuwait and its wall since the early 1900s. These cavalrymen and
infantrymen formed the defense and security forces in metropolitan areas; charged with
protecting outposts outside the wall of Kuwait.

The Military of Kuwait consists of several joint defense forces. The governing bodies are
the Kuwait Ministry of Defense, the Kuwait Ministry of Interior, the Kuwait National
Guardand the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate. The Emir of Kuwait is the commander-inchief of all defense forces.

Geography[edit]
Main article: Geography of Kuwait

Satellite image of Kuwait

Kuwait City is located on Kuwait Bay, a natural deep-water harbor. 90% of Kuwait's
population live within the Kuwait Bay coast. The country is generally low lying, with the
highest point being 306 m (1,004 ft) above sea-level. It has nine islands, all of which,
with the exception of Failaka Island, are uninhabited. With an area of
860 km (330 sq mi), the Bubiyan is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the
rest of the country by a 2,380 m (7,808 ft) long bridge. The only 0.6% of the land area is
considered arable with sparse vegetation found along its 499-kilometre (310 mi) long
coastline.
[1]

[111]

[112]

[1]

[1]

Kuwait's Burgan field having a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels

(1.110 m ) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991Kuwaiti oil fires, more than 500 oil
lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km (13.8 sq mi).
The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern
and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large
parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces. The oil spills during the Gulf War
also drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.
10

[113]

[114]

[115]

Climate[edit]
Main article: Climate of Kuwait
The spring season in March is warm with occasional thunderstorms. The frequent winds
from the northwest are cold in winter and hot in summer. Southeasterly damp winds
spring up between July and October; hot and dry south winds prevail in spring and early
summer. The shamal, a northwesterly wind common during June and July, causes
dramatic sandstorms. The temperature in Kuwait during summer is above 25 C
(77 F). The highest recorded temperature was 54.4 C (129.9 F) which is the highest
temperature recorded in Asia.
[116]

[117][118]

Governorates[edit]
Main article: Governorates of Kuwait
Kuwait is divided into six governorates. The governorates are further subdivided
into areas.

Economy[edit]

Main article: Economy of Kuwait

Al Hamra Tower is the tallest sculpted tower in the world.

Arraya Tower.

Kuwait has a petroleum-based economy, petroleum and fertilizers are the main export
products. The Kuwaiti dinar is the highest-valued currency unit in the world. Petroleum
accounts for nearly half of GDP and 94% of export revenues and government income.
The Kuwait Stock Exchange is the second-largest stock exchange in the Arab world.
[13]

[1]

Kuwait was the pioneer in the Middle East in diversifying its earnings away from oil
exports. However the country has struggled to diversify its economy since the Gulf War.
In recent years, the hostile relationship between the elected parliament and government
has prevented the implementation of economic reforms.
[49]

[119]

In the past five years, there has been a significant rise in entrepreneurship and small
business start-ups in Kuwait.
The informal sector is also on the rise, mainly due to
the popularity of Instagram businesses.
Many Kuwaiti entrepreneurs are using the
Instagram-based business model.
[120][121]

[122]

[123][124][125]

[126]

International holdings
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund specializing in
foreign investment. The KIA is the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund. Since 1953, the
Kuwaiti government has directed investments into Europe, United States and Asia
Pacific. As of 2015, the holdings were valued at $592 billion in assets.
[127]

Kuwait is the Arab world's largest foreign investor, with $8.4 billion in FDI outflows in
2013. Kuwait consistently tops regional rankings in FDI outflows. In 2013, Kuwait
almost tripled its foreign investments. Over the last 10 years, Kuwait has doubled
investments in the UK to more than $24 billion.
In 2014, Kuwait became the largest
foreign investor in China's RMB market.
[128]

[128]

[129][130]

[131]

Demographics[edit]

Kuwaiti youth celebrating Kuwait's independence and liberation, 2011

Main article: Demographics of Kuwait

Kuwait's 2014 population was 4.1 million people, of which 1.2 million were Kuwaitis, 1.1
million Arab expatriates, 1.4 million Asian expatriates, and 76,698 Africans.
[132]

Ethnic groups[edit]
Expatriates account for 70% of Kuwait's total population. 60% of Kuwait's total population
is Arab (including Arab expats). Indians andEgyptians are the largest expat communities
respectively.
[1]

[133]

Religion[edit]
Main article: Religion in Kuwait

Mosque in Kuwait

Most of Kuwait's population is Muslim. Kuwait also has a large community of expatriate
Christians (est. 450,000), Hindus (est. 600,000),Buddhists (est. 100,000), and Sikhs (est.
10,000). The majority of Kuwait's citizen population is Muslim;
there are no official
figures, but it is estimated that 70% are Sunni and 30% are Shia.
Some other minor
Muslim sects do exist in Kuwait's society, but in very small or rare numbers. Kuwait has
a native Christian community, there are between 259-400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens.
Kuwait is the only GCC country besides Bahrain to have a local Christian population
[134]

[135][136]

[137][138][139]

[140]

who hold citizenship. There is also a small number ofBah' Kuwaiti citizens,
that 18 Kuwaiti citizens follow the Bah' religion.

[134][141]

it is likely

[135][note 1]

Languages[edit]
Kuwait's official language is Modern Standard Arabic. Kuwaiti Arabic is Kuwait's colloquial
dialect. Kuwaiti Sign Language is used by the deaf community. English is widely
understood and often used as a business language.

Culture[edit]
Main article: Culture of Kuwait

Kuwait Towers, the country's most famous landmark.

Within the Gulf Arab states, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture of Bahrain;
this is evident in the close association between the two states in terms of accents, food,
and clothes, in addition to the similar degrees of openness in the two societies.
[142]

Theatre[edit]
Kuwait is known for its home-grown tradition of theatre. Kuwait is the only country in the
Gulf with a theatrical tradition. The theatrical movement in Kuwait constitutes a major
part of the country's cultural life. Theatrical activities in Kuwait began in the 1920s when
the first spoken dramas were released. Theatre activities are still popular today.
[143]

[144]

[145]

[146]

[145]

Soap operas[edit]
Kuwaiti soap operas ( ) are the among the most-watched soap operas in the
Arab world. Although usually performed in the Kuwaiti dialect, they have been shown
with success as far away as Tunisia.
[147]

[148]

Arts[edit]
Kuwait has the oldest modern arts movement in the Arabian Peninsula. Beginning in
1936, Kuwait was the first Gulf country to grant scholarships in the arts. The Kuwaiti
artist Mojeb al-Dousari was the earliest recognized visual artist in the Gulf region. He is
regarded as the founder of portrait art in the region. In 1943, al-Dousari launched
Kuwait's first art gallery.
[149]

[149]

[150]

[151]

Kuwait is home to more than 20 art galleries. The Sultan Gallery was the first art gallery
in the Gulf region.
Khalifa Al-Qattan was the first Kuwaiti artist to hold a solo artist
[152][153]

exhibition in Kuwait. He founded a new art theory in the early 1960s known as
"circulism".
[154][155]

Literature[edit]
Kuwait was the pioneer of literary movement in the region. In 1958, Al Arabi magazine
was first published, the magazine went on to become the most popular magazine in the
Arab world. In the 1970s, writers moved to Kuwait where they enjoyed greater freedom
of expression than elsewhere in the Arab world.
[51]

[52]