Kuwait
Kuwait (/kʊˈweɪt/ ⓘ; Arabic: الكويت al-Kuwayt, Gulf Arabic pronunciation: [ɪl‿ɪkweːt] or [lɪkweːt]), officially the State of Kuwait (Arabic: دولة الكويت ⓘ), is a country in West Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait also shares maritime borders with Iran. Kuwait has a coastal length of approximately 500 km (311 mi). Most of the country's population reside in the urban agglomeration of the capital and largest city Kuwait City. As of 2022, Kuwait has a population of 4.45 million people of which 1.45 million are Kuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3 million are foreign nationals from over 100 countries.
State of Kuwait | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: النشيد الوطني an-Nashīd al-Waṭani "National Anthem" | |
Location of Kuwait (green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Kuwait City |
| Official languages | Arabic |
| Other languages | English (lingua franca) • Tagalog • Pidgin Arabic (lingua franca) • Hindi • Persian • Bengali • Urdu • French • Malayalam • Pashto • Turkish • Armenian • Kurdish • Other minority languages spoken |
| Ethnic groups (2018) | |
| Religion (2013) |
|
| Demonym(s) | Kuwaiti |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional elective monarchy |
• Emir | Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah |
| Vacant | |
| Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah | |
| Ahmed Al-Sadoun | |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Establishment | |
| 23 January 1899 | |
| 29 July 1913 | |
• End of treaties with the United Kingdom | 19 June 1961 |
| 14 May 1963 | |
| 11 November 1962 | |
| 28 August 1990 | |
| 28 February 1991 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 17,818 km2 (6,880 sq mi) (152nd) |
• Water (%) | negligible |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 4,294,621 (137th) |
• Density | 200.2/km2 (518.5/sq mi) (62nd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $256.593 billion (65th) |
• Per capita | $51,764 (30th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $159.687 billion (59th) |
• Per capita | $32,215 (26th) |
| HDI (2021) | 0.831 very high · 50th |
| Currency | Kuwaiti dinar |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| ISO 3166 code | KW |
| Internet TLD | .kw |
Website www.e.gov.kw | |
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Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient Mesopotamia. Before the discovery of oil, Kuwait was a regional trade port. Oil reserves were discovered in commercial quantities in 1938. In 1946, crude oil was exported for the first time. From 1946 to 1982, the country underwent large-scale modernization, largely based on income from oil production. In the 1980s, Kuwait experienced a period of geopolitical instability and an economic crisis following the stock market crash. In 1990, after oil production disputes with neighbouring Iraq, Kuwait was invaded, and later annexed into one of Iraq's governorates by Iraq under Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi occupation of Kuwait came to an end on February 26, 1991, after military intervention by a military coalition led by the United States and various other countries.
Like some of the other Arab states in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait is an emirate. The emir is the head of state and the Al Sabah is the ruling family which dominates the country's political system. Kuwait's official state religion is Islam, specifically the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Kuwait is a developing country with a high-income economy, backed by the world's sixth largest oil reserves. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap opera, is exported to neighboring GCC states. Kuwait is a founding member of the GCC and is also a member of the UN, AL, OPEC and the OIC.