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Kuwait is an oil-rich Arab country with an area of 17,818 sq km situated at the north-western tip of the Arabian Gulf. Its territorial waters include nine islands and a coastline that is 290km long. The country is bordered on the north and west by Iraq, on the south by Saudi Arabia and on the east by the Arabian Gulf.

Located at 30.27°N and 48.46°E, Kuwait ranks third in the Middle East in proven oil reserves (after Saudi Arabia and Iraq) and was a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Its name is derived from kut, an Arabic word for fort. The capital city, Kuwait, is located on an inlet of the Arabian Gulf.

Kuwait enjoys a variable continental climate with considerable differences in temperature. The average daily temperature is 33°C (90°F).

Summer months are between May and October when the temperature is high but the humidity is less than other Gulf states.

Annual rainfall is from 25 to 175mm annually (1 to 7in), falling mostly in the winter months. Fierce sandstorms may last several days in the winter.

Kuwait is, for all practical purposes, a flat desert. Its highest point is a hill which is only about 300m high (1000ft). There are nine off-shore islands but only one of them, Failaka, is inhabited. Most of the land area of the country is below 200m (660ft) in elevation.

The soil of the desert does not lend itself to agriculture. Less than 9% of the land is arable and water comes almost exclusively from desalination plants.

            The people: 

There are essentially five levels of Kuwaiti society: the ruling family, the old Kuwaiti merchant families, former Bedouins who settled in Kuwait, Arabs from other countries and foreigners. Arabic is the official language and 90% of the population is Muslim.

In per-capita terms, Kuwait has one of the highest incomes in the world.

Before the Iraqi invasion in August 1990, less than 40% of the population were Kuwaiti and of the work force, less than 20% were Kuwaiti. Non-Kuwaitis enjoyed most of the welfare benefits of Kuwaiti citizens. The vote, on the other hand, was restricted to about 65,000 Kuwaiti males descended from men living in the country before 1920.

Kuwaiti society:

It is inevitable in a country like Kuwait which has grown from relative poverty to great wealth in a very short time that clashes should occur between the old and the new. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that the most important part of Kuwaiti society remains the family, and here the old values are retained and cherished.

The traditional virtues of hospitality, courtesy and respect must not be lost in a head-long rush to what some may term "modernization". Nowadays in Kuwait it is generally felt that not enough attention has been paid to the country's heritage, and so a number of government projects have sought to reverse this trend.

Language:

            The official language is Arabic though English is widely used 
            especially in business, banking and big shopping centres.

Most street signs are written in both languages.

            Roads:

Kuwait has an advanced motorway system, consisting of seven ring roads intersected by a further series of roads radiating from the heart of Kuwait City.

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