Destination Guide To Kuwait

GEOGRAPHY & BACKGROUND

The State of Kuwait is a small oil-rich constitutional monarchy on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia in the south and Iraq in the north. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water.

Kuwait consists mostly of desert, with little altitude difference. Kuwait is the only country in the world with no natural lake or water reservoir. It has nine islands, the largest one being Bubiyan, which is linked to the mainland by a concrete bridge (after the liberation in 1991 the island was converted into a military base and currently no civilians are allowed in).

Kuwait’s transportation system is modern and efficient, with a road system that is well developed by regional standards. Roads total 4,450 kilometers (2,765 mi), of which 81 % are paved and 350 kilometers (217 mi) are freeways, with most people traveling by automobile. The network consists of over 250 bridges. Many of these bridges, however, are of surprisingly poor quality. There is no railway system in Kuwait although public and private bus systems are operated. An international airport is located in the southern outskirts of the Kuwait city metropolitan area and Kuwait Airways is the national airline owned by the government. There is a new airline company called Jazeera Airways. The country has three modern seaports, one of which specializes in oil exports.

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