THE LAND
Geography
Kuwait is a small state located in the northwestern corner of the Arabian, or Persian,
Gulf (referred to hereafter simply as “the Gulf”). Approximately the size of New
Jersey, Kuwait covers an area of 17,818 sq kilometers (6,880 sq. miles). At its
widest points, Kuwait is 200 kilometers (124 miles) from north to south and 170
kilometers (106 miles) from east to west. The country’s most prominent geographical
feature is Kuwait Bay, a large natural inlet that extends 40 km into the mainland.
Shaped roughly like a triangle, Kuwait shares borders with Iraq in the north and
northwest and Saudi Arabia in the south and southwest; the Gulf bounds Kuwait on the
east.
There are nine islands in the country’s territorial waters: Warbah, Bubiyan, Maskan,
Failaka, Awhah, Umm Al-Naml, Kubbar, Qaruh, and Umm Al-Maradim. The densely
inhabited island of Failaka, lying 20 kilometers northeast of Kuwait City at the mouth
of Kuwait Bay, is thought by some to be the northernmost point of the Bronze Age
civilization of Dilmun. There is also evidence that Failaka (referred to at the time as
Ikoras) was settled by Alexandrian troops sometime after 323 BC.
For NASA photos of Kuwait and the Gulf, click on this link http://nix.nasa.gov/nix.cgi
, then enter desired search term (eg. Kuwait, Persian Gulf, Bubiyan island, etc.)
Topography
Most of Kuwait is made up of a flat sandy desert. Although there are no rivers or
mountains, the sandy soil gradually slopes to sea level where coastal marshes, mud
flats and salt depressions around the northern part of Kuwait Bay are habitats for
many species of birds. Kuwait has beautiful sandy beaches along the turquoise blue
Gulf. In the southwest of the country, the landscape rises to a maximum elevation of
306 meters (1,004 feet).
Name
Today Kuwait is officially known as the State of Kuwait. Early in the 17th century
Kuwait was known as “Qurain” which means ‘high hill’ or “Kout” meaning ‘little
fort.’ The tribal meaning of ‘Kout’ literally meant a fortress built adjacent to water
and hence derived the name Kuwait.
Climate
Located between the latitudes 28.45' and 30.05' north and between longitudes 46.30'
and 48.30' east, Kuwait is in the desert zone of the Sahara geographical region. The
summers are intensely hot and dry, with daily average highs ranging from 42°C to 46°
C (108°F-115°F) and occasionally reaching over 50؛C (125؛F) in the shade. The
highest recorded temperature is 51.5°C (125°F). The summers are long, lasting from
late May until early October. Sandstorms and very hot northwesterly winds in June
and July exaggerate the effects of the summer heat. While temperatures peak from late
May to September, the air is dry until August or September when humidity reaches
100%.
From September to December the temperature drops dramatically. Winters in
Kuwait, which generally last from early December until mid-February, are relatively
cool. In January, the coldest month, daytime temperatures range from 10°C to 30°C
(50s-80s°F), falling to below 10°C (40s°F) at night, and on rare occasions drop
below freezing. Winters can sometimes be rainy, though most precipitation falls in
the spring (from mid-February to mid-May).
Rainfall varies from 75 to 150 millimeters (three to six inches) a year across the
country. Although the average annual rainfall is 115 mm, there can be wide
variations; one year can see as little as 22 mm of rain (less than an inch), but the
following year can see as much as 370 mm (more than 12 inches).
Flora and Fauna
Due to the low annual rainfall and the lack of surface water, plants and animal life in
Kuwait have adapted to the arid conditions. During the late winter and early spring,
especially after an abundant rainy season, colorful desert flowers and grasses cover
most of the land. Small mammals such as gerbils, hares, rabbits, and hedgehogs are
common. Kuwait has also recorded approximately 300 species of birds. While only
about 20 species can be found in Kuwait year long, many birds are winter visitors or
passing migrants. They are attracted by the cool and wet winter months, which
encourage insects and plants to flourish and thus create an ample supply of food.
Borders
Kuwait’s border with Iraq has long been a source of tension between the two
countries. The border between the two countries was established in a 1923
memorandum from the British high commissioner in Baghdad to the British political
agent in Kuwait (who was responsible for Kuwait’s foreign relations), though the
boundary was not properly demarcated until 1993. Iraq later affirmed this border in
its 1932 application to the League of Nations for membership as an independent state.
Despite this affirmation, six years later in 1938, the Iraqi government asserted its first
claim to rule Kuwait and then refused to recognize Kuwait after it won independence
from Britain in 1961. In 1963, Iraq finally abandoned its threats and recognized
Kuwait’s independence and borders, in a treaty signed by both governments.
Nevertheless, through the 1960s and 1970s, Iraq continued to contest Kuwait’s
borders and exerted pressure on Kuwait to cede control over Bubiyan and Warbah
islands. In March of 1973, Iraq occupied the Kuwaiti border post of al-Samitah on
the mainland, though regional opposition forced Iraq to retreat in April.
In August 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and, shortly thereafter, formally annexed
the entire country. Under United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 687, after
the restoration of Kuwaiti sovereignty in 1991, a UN commission undertook formal
demarcation of the borders on the basis of the 1963 agreement. The boundary was
demarcated in 1992 and was accepted immediately by Kuwait. In November 1994,
Iraq recognized the inviolability of its border with Kuwait, as well as Kuwait’s
sovereignty and political independence.
Kuwait’s 250 kilometer (155 mile) border with its southern neighbor, Saudi Arabia,
was set in the 1922 Treaty of Al-Uqair, which also established the Kuwait-Saudi
Arabia Neutral Zone, an area encompassing 5,700 sq. kilometers (2,200 sq. miles).
In 1966 Kuwait and Saudi Arabia agreed to divide the Neutral Zone. Three years
later, in December 1966, both sides signed a partitioning agreement making each
country responsible for administering its own half of the Zone. To this day, oil
revenues from on-shore and off-shore production in the Zone is shared equally
between the two states.
Geography
Kuwait is a small state located in the northwestern corner of the Arabian, or Persian,
Gulf (referred to hereafter simply as “the Gulf”). Approximately the size of New
Jersey, Kuwait covers an area of 17,818 sq kilometers (6,880 sq. miles). At its
widest points, Kuwait is 200 kilometers (124 miles) from north to south and 170
kilometers (106 miles) from east to west. The country’s most prominent geographical
feature is Kuwait Bay, a large natural inlet that extends 40 km into the mainland.
Shaped roughly like a triangle, Kuwait shares borders with Iraq in the north and
northwest and Saudi Arabia in the south and southwest; the Gulf bounds Kuwait on the
east.
There are nine islands in the country’s territorial waters: Warbah, Bubiyan, Maskan,
Failaka, Awhah, Umm Al-Naml, Kubbar, Qaruh, and Umm Al-Maradim. The densely
inhabited island of Failaka, lying 20 kilometers northeast of Kuwait City at the mouth
of Kuwait Bay, is thought by some to be the northernmost point of the Bronze Age
civilization of Dilmun. There is also evidence that Failaka (referred to at the time as
Ikoras) was settled by Alexandrian troops sometime after 323 BC.
For NASA photos of Kuwait and the Gulf, click on this link http://nix.nasa.gov/nix.cgi
, then enter desired search term (eg. Kuwait, Persian Gulf, Bubiyan island, etc.)
Topography
Most of Kuwait is made up of a flat sandy desert. Although there are no rivers or
mountains, the sandy soil gradually slopes to sea level where coastal marshes, mud
flats and salt depressions around the northern part of Kuwait Bay are habitats for
many species of birds. Kuwait has beautiful sandy beaches along the turquoise blue
Gulf. In the southwest of the country, the landscape rises to a maximum elevation of
306 meters (1,004 feet).
Name
Today Kuwait is officially known as the State of Kuwait. Early in the 17th century
Kuwait was known as “Qurain” which means ‘high hill’ or “Kout” meaning ‘little
fort.’ The tribal meaning of ‘Kout’ literally meant a fortress built adjacent to water
and hence derived the name Kuwait.
Climate
Located between the latitudes 28.45' and 30.05' north and between longitudes 46.30'
and 48.30' east, Kuwait is in the desert zone of the Sahara geographical region. The
summers are intensely hot and dry, with daily average highs ranging from 42°C to 46°
C (108°F-115°F) and occasionally reaching over 50؛C (125؛F) in the shade. The
highest recorded temperature is 51.5°C (125°F). The summers are long, lasting from
late May until early October. Sandstorms and very hot northwesterly winds in June
and July exaggerate the effects of the summer heat. While temperatures peak from late
May to September, the air is dry until August or September when humidity reaches
100%.
From September to December the temperature drops dramatically. Winters in
Kuwait, which generally last from early December until mid-February, are relatively
cool. In January, the coldest month, daytime temperatures range from 10°C to 30°C
(50s-80s°F), falling to below 10°C (40s°F) at night, and on rare occasions drop
below freezing. Winters can sometimes be rainy, though most precipitation falls in
the spring (from mid-February to mid-May).
Rainfall varies from 75 to 150 millimeters (three to six inches) a year across the
country. Although the average annual rainfall is 115 mm, there can be wide
variations; one year can see as little as 22 mm of rain (less than an inch), but the
following year can see as much as 370 mm (more than 12 inches).
Flora and Fauna
Due to the low annual rainfall and the lack of surface water, plants and animal life in
Kuwait have adapted to the arid conditions. During the late winter and early spring,
especially after an abundant rainy season, colorful desert flowers and grasses cover
most of the land. Small mammals such as gerbils, hares, rabbits, and hedgehogs are
common. Kuwait has also recorded approximately 300 species of birds. While only
about 20 species can be found in Kuwait year long, many birds are winter visitors or
passing migrants. They are attracted by the cool and wet winter months, which
encourage insects and plants to flourish and thus create an ample supply of food.
Borders
Kuwait’s border with Iraq has long been a source of tension between the two
countries. The border between the two countries was established in a 1923
memorandum from the British high commissioner in Baghdad to the British political
agent in Kuwait (who was responsible for Kuwait’s foreign relations), though the
boundary was not properly demarcated until 1993. Iraq later affirmed this border in
its 1932 application to the League of Nations for membership as an independent state.
Despite this affirmation, six years later in 1938, the Iraqi government asserted its first
claim to rule Kuwait and then refused to recognize Kuwait after it won independence
from Britain in 1961. In 1963, Iraq finally abandoned its threats and recognized
Kuwait’s independence and borders, in a treaty signed by both governments.
Nevertheless, through the 1960s and 1970s, Iraq continued to contest Kuwait’s
borders and exerted pressure on Kuwait to cede control over Bubiyan and Warbah
islands. In March of 1973, Iraq occupied the Kuwaiti border post of al-Samitah on
the mainland, though regional opposition forced Iraq to retreat in April.
In August 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and, shortly thereafter, formally annexed
the entire country. Under United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 687, after
the restoration of Kuwaiti sovereignty in 1991, a UN commission undertook formal
demarcation of the borders on the basis of the 1963 agreement. The boundary was
demarcated in 1992 and was accepted immediately by Kuwait. In November 1994,
Iraq recognized the inviolability of its border with Kuwait, as well as Kuwait’s
sovereignty and political independence.
Kuwait’s 250 kilometer (155 mile) border with its southern neighbor, Saudi Arabia,
was set in the 1922 Treaty of Al-Uqair, which also established the Kuwait-Saudi
Arabia Neutral Zone, an area encompassing 5,700 sq. kilometers (2,200 sq. miles).
In 1966 Kuwait and Saudi Arabia agreed to divide the Neutral Zone. Three years
later, in December 1966, both sides signed a partitioning agreement making each
country responsible for administering its own half of the Zone. To this day, oil
revenues from on-shore and off-shore production in the Zone is shared equally
between the two states.