Kuwait is a sovereign emirate, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. It stands bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south and Iraq in the north and west. Kuwait comprises of nine islands, where it exercises sovereignty, namely Auhha, Bubiyan, Failaka, Kubbar, Miskan, Umm Al-Maradim, Umm Al-Naml, Qaruh and Warba. Of these, Bubiyan is the largest one and Failaka is the most populous one. Kuwait is spread over an area of approximately 18,000 sq km of land, majority of which comprises of oil rich desert. This is the reason why the country has a total of less than 300 species of native flowering plants. In case you want to know more about Kuwait, make use of the information provided in the lines below.
Fun & Interesting Facts about Kuwait
- Kuwait is officially known as the ‘State of Kuwait’.
- The official language of Kuwait is Arabic, but English is also widely spoken and understood.
- The main ethnic groups in Kuwait include Kuwaiti, other Arab, South Asian and Iranian.
- Majority of the people in Kuwait follow Islam, followed by Christian, Hindu and Parsi religion.
- The currency of Kuwait is Kuwaiti Dinar.
- The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City.
- Kuwait follows the system of ‘Constitutional Monarchy’, with a Parliamentary System of government.
- Kuwait became an independent country, after the end of British Protectorate, on 19th June 1961.
- Apart from having world's fifth largest proven oil reserves, Kuwait is the fourth richest country in the world in terms of per capita income.
- Kuwait's oil fields were discovered and exploited in the 1930s.
- Petroleum and petroleum products make up around 95 percent of export revenues, and 80 percent of government income, in Kuwait.
- In 1990, Kuwait was invaded and annexed by neighboring Iraq. The occupation lasted seven month and ended after direct military intervention by United States-led forces.
- The island of Failaka in Kuwait was an ancient trading post.
- Kuwait came under the leadership of the Al Sabah family in 1750s, with semi-autonomy from the Ottomans.
- Kuwait entered the Special Treaty of Friendship with Britain in 1899, to prevent the occurrence of Ottoman direct rule.
- The borders between Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia were agreed in the 1920s and 1930s.
- Kuwait became a member of the Arab League in 1961 and that of United Nations in 1963.
- Kuwait was the first Arab country in the Gulf to have an elected parliament.
- Full political rights were granted to women in Kuwait, in 2005.
- Kuwaiti men usually wear the national dress of long white dishdashes and white headcloths, while women wear yashmaks.
- Kuwaiti food is primarily based on the staple product of rice.
- Kuwait is one of the smallest countries in the world.
