BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Country Name: KUWAIT
Capital
Kuwait City
Largest city Kuwait
City
Official language(s)
Arabic
Government
nominal constitutional monarchy
Area 17,818 km²
(157th)
Population
- 2005 est. 2,687,0001 (137th)
Currency Kuwaiti
Dinar (KWD)
Time
zone (UTC+5)
Internet
TLD .kw
Calling
code +965
|
|
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.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
or
visit
http://www.tripadvisor.com
