Kuwait

Overview

Kuwait (Arabic: الكويت) is a monarchy situated at the Persian Gulf, nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia . Historically, Kuwait was a strategic trade port between Mesopotamia, India, and Persia. Like many of its neighbours, Kuwait is endowed with oil and gas wealth.

The country is divided into governorates, which are divided into areas, which are divided into blocks. Knowing the area and block is necessary, as the street numbers may be repeated across different blocks of the same areas. Area names are not repeated across the country, so it would be unusual if you mention the governorate after the area. See the Get around section.

Sights and landscapes

See Kuwait City for listings of attractions in the city. Kuwait is not the ideal vacation spot in the region, but if on a business trip, there are some sites worth seeing:

Located at the head of the Persian Gulf in the north-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula , Kuwait is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of land area. Kuwait lies between latitudes 28° and 31° N , and longitudes 46° and 49° E . Kuwait is generally low-lying, with the highest point being 306 m (1,004 ft) above sea level . Mutla Ridge is the highest point in Kuwait.

Kuwait has ten islands . With an area of 860 km 2 (330 mi 2 ), the Bubiyan is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the rest of the country by a 2,380-metre-long (7,808 ft) bridge. 0.6% of Kuwaiti land area is considered arable with sparse vegetation found along its 499-kilometre-long (310 mi) coastline. Kuwait City is located on Kuwait Bay , a natural deep-water harbor.

Kuwait's Burgan field has a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels (11 billion cubic metres) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991 Kuwaiti oil fires , more than 500 oil lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km 2 ( 13 + 3 ⁄ 4 mi 2 ). The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces. The oil spills during the Gulf War also drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.

Culture and food

There is a huge array of restaurants in Kuwait. Because nightlife is virtually non-existent, most people go out to restaurants and malls. A wide variety of international cuisines is available in high-end restaurants, although some heavily pork-based cuisines (German, e.g.) are conspicuously absent. Kuwait is known for its culinary specialties and catering services. Restaurants can be found in food courts in malls, and alternatively many international restaurants are grouped together in certain areas in Kuwait, namely:

Just ask any local where the "Restaurants Road" is and they will guide you to a road in Salmiya packed end-to-end with local restaurants serving a wide array of specialty sandwiches, juices and snacks. Alternatively, head to any of the major shopping malls which are also crowded with restaurants ranging from fast to gourmet food. Every conceivable U.S. chain is represented in Kuwait.

While rare, there are still some restaurants that serve traditional Kuwaiti food. Al-Marsa restaurant in Le Meridien Hotel (Bneid Al Gar location) has some traditional Kuwaiti seafood but with a relatively high price tag. A cheaper option is the quaint Shati Alwatia restaurant at the Behbehani Villa compound in the Qibla area of Kuwait City (behind the Mosques) and another Kuwaiti restaurant is Ferij Suwailih in salmiya area.

Kuwait is considered to be a pioneer in the region when it comes to the arts and popular culture. Kuwaiti popular culture , in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states. Within the Arab states of the Persian Gulf , the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture of Bahrain ; this is evident in the close association between the two states in theatrical productions and soap operas.

Kuwait has the oldest performing arts industry in the Arabian Peninsula. Kuwait's television drama industry is the largest and most active Gulf Arab drama industry and annually produces a minimum of fifteen serials. Kuwait is the main production center of the Gulf television drama and comedy scene. Most Gulf television drama and comedy productions are filmed in Kuwait. Kuwaiti soap operas are the most-watched soap operas from the Gulf region. Soap operas are most popular during the time of Ramadan , when families gather to break their fast. Although usually performed in the Kuwaiti dialect , they have been shown with success as far away as Tunisia . Kuwait is frequently dubbed the " Hollywood of the Gulf" due to the popularity of its television soap operas and theatre.

Planning your route

With an area of 17,820 square kilometres (6,880 sq mi), Kuwait is among the smallest countries in the world and you can easily cover the country in less than 2-3 days. A journey from the capital city to Umm Qasr in Iraq will take you roughly 60-80 minutes depending on traffic conditions.

Kuwait has a good road system. All signs are in English and Arabic. The major north-south roads are effectively freeways numbered Expressway 30, 40, etc. These are traversed by increasingly widely spaced ring roads named First, Second, etc., making navigation fairly easy.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.