About Kuwait

Location and Climate

The State of Kuwait covers an area of about 17,818 square kilometers of typically flat desert in the northwestern area of the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf). To the south and southwest, Kuwait is bordered by Saudi Arabia and to the north and northwest by Iraq. Iran lies to the east, across the Arabian Gulf.

Kuwait’s coastal waters cover around 5,625 square kilometers and its coastline extends across 290 kilometers. Kuwait has control over nine islands in the Gulf, of which the largest are Failaka, Boubyan, and Warba. Others, like Kubbar and Um Al-Maradim, are too small for occupancy.

Kuwait City is the principal metropolitan center and has grown to cover several satellite communities or suburbs, such as Hawalli and Salmiya. The other urban areas of note are Ahmadi to the south and Jahra to the west. Ahmadi’s industrial zone contains the Ahmadi refinery and oil export terminals. Ahmadi and Jahra are about 40 and 30 kilometers, respectively, from the center of Kuwait City.

Kuwait has a very hot and long summer, when maximum temperatures often reach 50°C (120°F) but can go higher. In winter, temperatures can fall below zero in the desert. During March and April, and from October to December, the weather is enjoyable with temperatures averaging 21°C. From June to September average temperatures are around 40–45°C. September is typically cooler, but can be very humid. The hot season also brings sand storms which can last for several days, and which usually happen during June and up to mid-July. Average annual rainfall is around five inches. This usually occurs from November to December and from February to May.

Language and Religion

The official language in Kuwait is Arabic; however English is widely spoken and used in commercial circles. All official correspondence with government ministries and bodies must be in Arabic.

Kuwait recognizes Islam as its state religion. As a result, all Islamic holidays are officially observed, one of the most important of these is the holy month of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Non observers are required to abstain from consuming food or beverages in public. Official working hours are reduced, and as a result, business activity tends to loosen somewhat.

Political Structure

The constitution of Kuwait was adopted on November 11, 1962. It declares Kuwait to be a independent, Islamic, and democratic state. Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with supervisory power residing in the Amir as head of state and commander in chief.

After leading the country for over 28 years, the former Amir His Highness the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah passed away on January 15, 2006. On January 29, 2006, HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah took the oath of office as Amir in a special session which was collectively approved by the National Assembly. He thus became Kuwait’s fifteenth Amir.

Kuwait has an elected National Assembly of 50 members supplemented by members of the Council of Ministers who attend ex-officio. The assembly sits for four years. In addition to the body’s legislative responsibilities, the National Assembly also has oversight powers over the government. The first elections to the National Assembly were held in 1963 in which only men were allowed to vote. On May 16, 2005, the Assembly passed a law in support of women’s suffrage, allowing women to vote and run for office.

Soon after, then Kuwait’s Amir HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, dissolved parliament following extensive calls for electoral reform. As a result, women participated in elections for the first time on June 30, 2006. While 27 women ran for office out of a total of 250 candidates, none were successful. On March 18, 2009 Kuwait’s Amir dissolved parliament for the third time since January 2006 and called for election on May16, 2009. Out of 211 candidates 16 were female; four of them were elected to become member’s of the parliament, a Kuwaiti first.

People

The first settlements in Kuwait date back to ancient times. A Bronze Age settlement has been discovered on Failaka Island, and evidence exists that at a later stage this settlement was visited by one of the admirals of Alexander the Great.

The origins of Kuwait’s modern day original population are thought to be tribes who moved from the southwest, the north, and northwest starting more than 200 years ago. A prosperous trading community grew up around the fishing and pearling harbor, with Kuwait establishing itself as a main trading center in the region even before the arrival of the oil age.

Data published by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) shows that Kuwait’s total population stood at 3.44 million at the end of June 2009. Since 1998, the population has grown by an annual average growth rate of 4.2%. Just under a third of the population is made up of Kuwaiti nationals. The remainder consists primarily of expatriates, most from south Asia, Iran, the Philippines, Egypt and other parts of the Arab world. There are also considerable numbers of people from North America, Europe, and Japan currently living in Kuwait.

Ports and Transportation

Kuwait has two modern commercial ports at Shuwaikh and Shuaiba, which handle the bulk of its merchandise cargo traffic. Shuwaikh is the main commercial port with a total area of 3.2 million square meters and a basin of 1.2 million square meters. The port has 21 berths with depths of between 6.7 and 10 meters. Vessel traffic to and from the port goes through a dredged navigation channel.

The Shuwaikh container terminal is located in the northwestern part of the port and has an area of 260 thousand square meters. Berths 12 and 13 at the port are dedicated for container operations and were equipped after 1991

with two container gantry cranes, each with a 40 ton capacity. The terminal is also ready with two mobile harbors cranes with a 35 ton capacity, allowing it to handle heavy loads of 100 tons, if necessary.

Shuaiba port is located 45 kilometers to the south of Kuwait City, and is bordered by Ahmadi port to the north and Mina Abdullah to the south. The port of Shuaiba has commercial and container berths, and a crude oil export pier

which is operated by Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). There are 20 commercial and container berths with depths of between 10 and 14 meters. Four of these berths are for container vessels. The port is equipped with a conveyor loading system to load bulk urea shipments by Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC). Two other conveyor systems at the port are used to load sulfur and petroleum coke exports.

The Shuaiba container terminal is considered one of the most modern container terminals in the Gulf. It has a total area of about 31 thousand square meters. There are four container berths with a total length of 880 meters and an average depth of 14 meters. The container customs inspection platform can handle up to 16 containers at one time.

Doha port is a small coastal port with 20 small berths that are used by dhows, barges, and coastal vessels operating between Gulf ports. There is another port for small ships nearby at Ras Isheirej. In addition, Kuwait has three

industrial ports at Mina Ahmadi, Mina Abdullah, and Mina Al-Zour, which handle oil industry exports and are located near the refineries.

Since late 1999 the National Real Estate Company has operated the Kuwait Free Trade Zone (KFTZ) located at Shuwaikh port. KFTZ, under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, provides facilities for the storage and processing of goods, materials and other related activities, with companies operating there enjoying exemptions from all customs duties as well as smooth visa procedures.

Kuwait have an advanced transportation infrastructure. The road system is well developed, with modern multilane expressways linking all areas of the country. Kuwait International Airport, located south of the city, is easily reachable by expressway, has a number of regular flights to many regional, European, and Asian destinations, and can hold the world’s largest aircraft. Kuwait does not have a railway system, though one is being considered.