Area
& Topography
The total area of the State of Kuwait is 17,818
square kilometers (6,969 square miles).
Most of Kuwait mainland is a flat sandy desert,
gradually sloping down from the extreme west of
Shigaya and Salmi (300 meters high) towards sea
level in the east. It is broken by shallow depressions
and low hills, such as Al-Liyah, Kura Al-Maru, Shagat
Al-Jleeb, and Afrie, which form a ridge at Jal al-Zor
(145 meters high), cut by the Umm Al-Ramam wadi.
The area is locally known by the name ?Ghodai? meaning
the ?Hill?
Kuwait's Islands
There are nine islands off the coast of Kuwait:
Failaka, Bubiyan, Miskan, Warba, Auhha, Umm Al-Maradim,
Umm Al-Naml, Kubbar and Qaruth.
Bubiyan : Located in the northwest of the Arabian
Gulf it is the largest island in area (863 Km2),
and is linked to the mainland by a prestressed concrete
bridge.
Failaka, considered as the most beautiful island
was a residential island and had a special beach
resort comprising a number of chalets and leisure
facilities before the Iraqi invasion, lies deserted
now. However Kuwait plans to transform Failaka into
a touristic and recreational destination. It will
also be linked with the mainland by a 30 km long
causeway.
The State's Higher Committee for Urban Planning
and Major Projects is considering developmental
projects in Failaka and Bubiyan islands.
The private sector would be invited to present offers
for the Bubyan and Failaka island projects on the
basis of 'BOT' (build-operate-transfer) system.
The Coast
There has always been a strong link between Kuwait
and the sea, and it is this which shaped the distinctive
character of today's Kuwaitis and constituted the
Kuwaitis main source of income in olden times. Today
the picture is different, with the urban expansion
and rapid modernization. The link with the sea is
still to the Kuwaitis a cherished memory of the
past.
The 290 kilometers coast can be divided into two
main parts : one extends along the Arabian Gulf
and the other lies around Kuwait Bay and Khor Subiya.
The two areas are basically different. Most of the
first area is characterized by sandy beaches, while
the second area, 70 km in length, is characterized
by mudflats, especially in the shallow northern
area in the Bay of Kuwait, where the maximum wave
height is 16 cm. opposite Kuwait City.
Flora, Fauna & MarineLife
Being a desert land with little water and extremes
of temperatures and high salinity, Kuwait is rather
an inhospitable place for plants and animal life.
Still there are some 400 species of plants and flowers
growing in Kuwait. In spring some parts of desert
transform into green medows and carpet of yellow
camomile. In the northern part of the country and
at Jal al-Zor there are numerous plants like Arfaj
(phanterium epapposum) and Awsaj (lycium arbicumL.Shawi)
both eaten by camels. There is heliotropium ramosissimum
plant whose dry leaves are used by the bedouins
to make a drink like tea, and a poultice to cure
venomous snake bites. Cistanche lutea with its large
flowers is an impressive plant found in Kuwait.
The best months to see and study Kuwait's flora
are January, February and March when desert comes
alive with colourful plants.
Wild life prior to the Iraqi invasion of August
1990 include many species of reptiles; lizards and
snakes. Rabbits, wolf and various types of desert
gazelle are near extinction due to unrestricted
hunting and urban expansion. Native birds are limited
to few species, mostly larks, but the country lies
on the migration route for many bird species such
as flamingoes, steppe eagles, Cormorants and Bee
Eaters.
The Arabian Gulf is highly saline and seawater temperatures
range from 12oC to 36oC. More than 200 species of
fish inhabit local waters, as well as 5 species
of sea-snakes, along with dolphins, porpoises and
whales. Innumerable types of molluscs and other
sea-shells are found on the shores.
Natural Resources
Kuwait has few natural resources other than oil,
a gigantic natural harbour, fisheries, and a few
sparse water supplies.
Oil is Kuwait's prime natural resource on which
its economy depends. The country is reckoned to
have reserves of 94.8 billion barrels, about 9.6%
of the world's total. This ranks it third in the
world behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq. At current levels
of production, Kuwait has enough oil to last for
more than 100 years.
Kuwait bay is a generously sized natural harbour
and has always been a prime access point for trade
entering and leaving the hinterland of northeast
Arabia and Iraq. Before oil was discovered, it was
the country's most valuable natural resource and
today, as the location of Kuwait's main commercial
port, its economic importance continues.
Fifty years ago Kuwait was self-sufficient in marine
foods and, despite a 20-fold increase in population,
fishing still provides 50% of the country's seafood
requirements. But stocks are being depleted through
overfishing and the breeding grounds are being polluted
by increased sediment due to marsh-draining in southern
Iraq.
Kuwait's only reserves of pure drinking water are
in the northern areas of Ar-Rawdatain and Umm Al-Aish.
The rest of its naturally occuring water, which
is found in Sulaibiya, Shigaya, Abdali, Wafra and
Umm Qdair, is brackish and can only be used, in
its natural state, for irrigation.
International Commerce
Trade has always been the main factor in the existance
of Kuwait. Before the Suez canal was opened in 1868,
Kuwait Bay was one of the two good natural harbours
in the Gulf, the other being in Bahrain. Due to
these geographical advantages and its stable administration,
early Kuwait became the centre of much of the transit
trade from India, Africa and China to Europe.
Kuwaiti merchants would sail to distant locations
in locally built sailing dhows. Many were involved
in pearl diving, boat building and general trading.
Fishing provided an essential food for the locals.
Pearling was a major source of wealth.
Kuwait In Pre-history
Very little is known of Kuwait in early times. Tools,
dating from about 8,000 BC, found in Burgan and
Wafra, indicate a human presence in the area during
the mesolithic period, though strangely there are
no signs of a later neolithic culture.
Archaeological finds dating as far back as 2000
BC suggest that Failaka, the most famous of Kuwaits
islands, was a trading centre. It was an outpost
of the Dilmun trading empire. The island of Failaka
lies 20 km north east of Kuwait city. It is 12 km
long, 6 km wide. It is this island which combines
the ancient history of Kuwait, dating back to the
early stone age; and the recorded history of Kuwait,
when the early ?Utubs? settled in after their long
journey, prior to their settlement on Kuwait's main
land in the late seventeenth century.
Brief History
Kuwait has a history of over 250 years of existence
as an independent political entity.
The real history of Kuwait dates back to 1672 when
Kuwait was just a small village where the Sheikh
of the Bani Khalid built his ?Kout? (small fortress),.
The establishment of Kuwait proper was in 1711 with
the arrival of the ?Utub? tribe in Kuwait. The ?Utub?
were originally related to the ?Anaza? tribe in
Najd.
In the 17th century the Bani Khalid were the rulers
of Eastern Arabian peninsula and their domain stretched
from Kuwait down to Qatar.
In the middle of the 17th century the 'Utub' tribe
comprising of several major tribe of Anaza, such
as Al-Sabah, Al-Khalifa, Al-Zayed, Al-Jalahima and
Al-Muawida migrated from Najd, a place in central
Arabian peninsula due to a drought sweeping the
peninsula at that time.
Disputes over succession after the death of Saidun
bin Muhammed bin Oraier Al-Hamad in 1722 gave the
Utab some form of local government. In 1756 Sabah
bin Jaber was chosen by the inhabitants of Kuwait
to administer justice and the affairs of the town.
Kuwait, The Capital
The first wall around the City was built in the
1760s, the second in 1814, and the last in 1920.
This was demolished in 1957 but its five gates were
left standing as monuments to the past.
The City of Kuwait itself still retains its five
original districts - Sharq, Dasman, Mirqab, Salhya
and Qibla, although today it has spread beyond the
boundary of the old surrounding wall. In 1760 Kuwait
covered an area of 11 hectares, i.e. 110,000 sq.
meters. Now after astounding urban expansion it
encompasses 16 modern suburbs with a total area
of 17,818 sq. Km.
Old Kuwait City almost disappeared under the massive
surge of constructional activity with all the accoutrements
of the twentieth century - modern residential complexes,
modern roads, multi-storey buildings, plentiful
water,etc.
The Origins Of The Population
When the Utub tribe arrived in Kuwait there were
some families of other tribes already living in
the area, and these families joined the new Utbi
trading settlement. Other families from the Anaza,
were attracted by Kuwait's stability and in 1831
the population was about 4,000. Throughout the 19th
century there was continuous slow immigration from
Arabia, southern Mesopotamia, and Persia and in
1863 the population was nearly 15,000. Thousands
more arrived during the time of Sheikh Mubarak the
Great, attracted by his orderly administration and
Kuwait's commercial activity. In 1946 the population
was about 90,000.
Social & Political
Formation
Because of its location at the head of the Arabian
Gulf, Kuwait was an important entrepot on the trade
routes between the West and the East. In the early
18th century, the Utub, the ancestors of many of
today's premier Kuwaiti families, arrived in the
area where they founded a settlement of traders.
At that time the area from Qatar to Kuwait was ruled
by the Beni Khalid, a tribal federation of nomads
and settled clans who controlled trade along the
Gulf coast. Due to a weakening of the Beni Khalid
by internal dissention and general political turbulence
in the area, the Utub were able to assert their
independence gradually. This independence became
absolute in the mid-18th century.
The new trading settlement in Kuwait elected Sabah
bin Jabir bin Adhbi as its first Sheikh. About 1764,
Sabah was succeeded by his younger son Abd Allah
who was also elected by the Utbi merchants. In the
19th century the Sabah consolidated their position
as the ruling clan when the method of succession
changed. Instead of being elected by the merchants,
the head of the Sabah was selected by the family
and this person became Amir when the merchants pledged
their allegiance to him. The Amir and his immediate
family were expected to cease trading on their own
account to devote themselves to government, and
in return they were allowed to levy a small duty
on imports.
The Amirs were not absolute rulers and consulted
the merchants at regular diwaniyahs, meetings which
they hosted. According to al-Rushaid, a Kuwaiti
historian, the Amir's role was seen as being to
'protect the rights of the merchant community against
the greed of foreigners', and real authority rested
with the merchants.
Early Kuwait was a small closely-knit political
entity. The consensual nature of its governance
enabled it to adjust rapidly to threats and opportunities,
whether commercial or political. Whenever the Beni
Khalid, in the early days, appeared to reassert
their sovereignty, the merchants would decamp with
their stock-in-trade for Faylaka Island, wait until
the nomadic Khalidis grew bored and left, and then
move back to Kuwait. Later, during the first century
or so of its existence, Kuwait relied on ad hoc
alliances with neighbouring powers to preserve its
independence and free-booting mercantilism.
When Sheikh Mubarak the Great, considered the founder
of modern Kuwait, rose to power in 1896, he was
concerned with foreign policy as his small and prosperous
trading town came under continual threat from outsiders,
particularly the Ottoman Turks. On 23rd January
1899, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabahand the British government
signed an agreement, under which the British would
provide a measure of protection, but Mubarak was
not allowed to receive a representative of any country
without the concent of the British, nor could any
Kuwaiti territory be sold to any foreign national
or government without their concent. Mubarak is
portrayed as a highly competent ruler who managed
tribal affairs very well. Mubarak died in 1915.
It is recorded that in 1914 the population of town
was 35,000 people. The town consisted of 3,000 houses,
500 shops and three schools. There were around 500
boats engaged in pearl-fishing and 30 to 40 larger
vessels sailing to India and Africa. By 1922 the
total number of Kuwaiti pearl diving boats reached
800 and there were over 10,000 people involved in
the profession. There were as many as 300 boat builders,
the timber came mainly from India.
During the 1920s and 1930s Kuwait's consensual form
of governance, in which views were traditionally
expressed openly in the Sheikh's diwaniyah, became
more formal and several experiments were made with
elected advisory and legislative councils. In 1930
Kuwait Municipality was established.
On June 19, 1961, Kuwait became independent of the
British protection by an agreement signed between
the Kuwaiti prince Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem and
the then resident British diplomat. By the end of
1962 the Kuwaiti constitution was established and
the first election for the National Assembly was
held in 1963.
Iraqi Invasion And
Liberation
The gruesome and unprovoked cruel aggression of
Iraq invading Kuwait on August 2, 1990 makes an
unforgettable event of the recent history of Kuwait.
The seven month occupation by Iraq brutalised the
entire population.
During the Iraqi occupation more than 400 Kuwaitis
were martyred. Hundreds of Kuwaitis and expatriates
were tortured, women raped, properties looted and
damaged.
Thousands of Westerners trapped in Kuwait were arrested
and forcibly used as human shields on key military
and industrial installations in Iraq and Kuwait,
and others, to avoid such a fate, had to go into
hiding.
The UN condemned the invasion and authorised the
use of force to expel Iraq from Kuwait. The USA,
led by President George Bush, created an Arabic-Western
coalition of 35 countries which freed Kuwait on
26th February 1991. But before liberation more than
70% of the country's suqs and shopping malls were
looted. Warehouses, factories, hosp-itals, offices
and buildings were stripped, museums and cultural
centres were emptied, and the environment was almost
destroyed by the Iraqi dictator's last attrocity
of firing Kuwaiti oil wells to destroy Kuwait.
The retreating Iraqis blew up oil installations
and set 727 oil wells (about 80% of the total) on
fire, causing oil-related losses of about US$75
billion. In addition, the ports were blocked and
mined, and power and water distillation plants were
rendered inoperative. But within ten days one port
was cleared, power was restored two months later,
and the last oil fire was extinguished in November
1991.
Nearly six hundred Kuwaitis, who were arrested and
reported as being taken to Iraq, are still missing.
Now, more than eleven years, best of efforts have
not achieved much success. Those missing include
men, women and even children. The families of missing
continue to live in agony as they wait.
BACK
