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COUNTRY HOPPING: Kuwait
Official name: State of Kuwait
Area: 17,818 sq km
Population: 1,834,269
Capital: Kuwait City
Currency: Kuwaiti dinar
Official language: Arabic
Major cities: Hawalli, As Salimiyah, Jalib ash Shuyukh
Major exports: Oil.
A country in southwest Asia, Kuwait is bounded in the north and northwest by Iraq, in the east by the Persian Gulf, and in the south and southwest by Saudi Arabia.
Physical features
Kuwait lies on a gently sloping plain rising westward from the Persian Gulf and reaching an elevation of 951 feet at Ash-Shaqaya, the country’s highest point, located near the extreme western border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait Bay extends 48km inland from the Persian Gulf. Except for Al-Jahrah Oasis, at the western end of Kuwait Bay, and a few fertile patches in the southeastern and coastal areas, the country is largely desert.
True soils scarcely exist naturally in Kuwait. Except in the new green belt of Kuwait city and in a few desert oases such as Al-Jahrah, where cultivation and irrigation are carried out, the vegetation consists of scrub and low bushes. Halophytes (salt-loving plants) grow on the marshy stretches along the coast.
Climate
The climate is semitropical. The average annual temperature is 25°C, and the average annual rainfall is 127mm or less, most of which falls in the cooler season between October and March. During the dry season, temperatures frequently exceed 46°C. Winds are frequent in Kuwait, and fierce dust storms occur, mostly in June and July.
People
Arabs comprise less than 50 per cent of the Kuwaiti population. Minority groups, including Indians, Pakistanis, and Iranians, make up the remainder of the population.
The official language is Arabic, but English is widely spoken, particularly in government and business circles.
Islam is practised by 85 per cent of the population. About 45 per cent of Kuwaitis are Sunni Muslim, 30 per cent are Shia Muslim, and 10 per cent follow other Muslim traditions.
Wildlife
The animals found in Kuwait are red fox, wildcat, dromedary, desert jerboa and long eared hedgehog. The birds include hoopoe, greater flamingo and osprey. The harsh climate limits mammals to the occasional gazelle, fox, or civet. Among lizards is the rare and venomous sand viper and monitor and vegetarian dab lizards.
Government
The constitution vests executive power in the hands of the Emir, who governs through an appointed prime minister and council of ministers. There is a 50-member single-chamber national assembly, elected for a four-year term. Women do not have the right to vote. Political parties are not permitted and, despite the appearance of constitutional government, Kuwait is, in effect, a personal monarchy.
Cultural life
Kuwait has a Muslim cultural heritage. The country still serves as a transit point for some of those participating in the haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Kuwait’s Pilgrim’s City offers these travellers board, lodging, and essential services. Some Kuwaitis continue to practice such traditional activities as desert hunting and camel racing.
Sports
Kuwait’s sports culture combines the traditional sports of nomadic Arabian society with contemporary sports of Western origin. Traditional sports of enduring popularity include Arabian horse and camel racing; falconry is enjoyed primarily by wealthy sheikhs, although over hunting of the game and, after 1990, the presence of unexploded land mines in the desert have reduced its practice. Kuwaitis have competed at the national and international levels in the country’s two most widely played sports, soccer and golf. For political reasons Kuwaiti athletes are forbidden to compete against those of Iraq.
History
16th Century: The region became part of the Ottoman Empire.
1756: Autonomous sheikhdom of Kuwait founded by Abd Rahman of the al-Sabah family.
1776: British East India Company set up a base in the Gulf.
1899: Britain signed a treaty with Kuwait enabling it to become a self-governing protectorate.
1914: Britain recognized Kuwait as an ‘independent government under British protection’.
1938: Oil was first discovered.
1945: Large-scale exploitation of oil began after 1945, transforming Kuwait City from a small fishing port into a thriving commercial centre.
1961: It achieved full independence. Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah took the title of Emir after assuming full executive powers.
1962: Constitution introduced.
1965: Sheikh Abdullah died and was succeeded by his brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah.
1977: Sheikh Sabah died; succeeded by Crown Prince Jabir, who appointed Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah as his heir apparent.
1986: Sheikh Jabir suspended the national assembly after it criticized his government’s policies.
1987: Kuwait sought US protection for its tankers in the wake of attacks on Gulf shipping.
1990: The police dispersed pro-democracy demonstrations. In August, Iraq reactivated the long-standing territorial dispute and invaded and occupied the country. The Emir and most of his family escaped to Saudi Arabia and set up government in exile there.
1991: US-led coalition forces liberated Kuwait.
1992: The first parliamentary elections since 1986 were held in October, with opposition candidates winning a majority of the seats (30) in Kuwait’s national assembly.
1993: Incursions by Iraq into Kuwait were halted after a series of US-led air strikes on Iraqi military sites.
1994: Iraqi troops massed near the border in October, arousing fears of another invasion, but prompt action by international community removed the threat and secured a formal recognition of Kuwait by the Iraqi government.
1996: Pro-government candidates secured most of the seats in elections.
1997: Illegal immigrants ordered to leave the country.
1998: US forces deployed from Kuwait during four-day air strikes on Iraq.
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