Kuwait
| State of Kuwait | |
|---|---|
| |
| National anthem | Al-Nasheed Al-Watani |
| Capital (and largest city) | Kuwait City |
| Official language | Arabic |
| Government type | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Emir | Sabbah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah |
| Prime Minister | al-Ahmed al-Sabah |
| Area | 17,820 km² 6880 mi² |
| Population | 2,505,559 [1] (142) (2007 estimate) |
| Population density | 141/km² 364 mi² |
| HDI | Template:Increase0.891 (high) (33) |
| Currency | Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) |
| Time zone | AST (UTC+3) |
| Country codes | Internet TLD : .kw Calling code : ++965 |
The State of Kuwait is a country on the Persian Gulf. It borders Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait is well known as a regional center of the oil industry, which accounts for the majority of its economic output. It was invaded by Iraq under Saddam Hussein, who occupied it for several months before being driven out by an American-led force in the 1991 Gulf War. Despite its small size (a little less than the state of New Jersey). Kuwait is one of the most developed Arab countries and plays an important role in the Middle East
History
Ancient History
Parts of Kuwait have been inhabited since ancient times, most notably Faylakha island, which has evidence of human occupation dating from 3000 BC. Alexander the Great established a trading post on the island, which was called Icaros by the Greeks. The island probably fell under the control of the Selucid, Byzantine, and Sassanid empires when they occupied the surrounding area, although, since the area was something of a backwater, no definitive records exist. Later, nomadic Bedouin tribes inhabited the area, and Islamic armies engaged Persian forces at Kazima in 623 AD, beginning their conquest of Persia.
Sometime before 1613, a small fishing village called Qurain (from the Arabic word Qarn, "hill"), was established on the site of present day Kuwait City by the Bani Khalid tribe. In 1672, Barrak bin Ghuraif, shiek of the Bani Khalid, built a small fortress in the city to protect against the neighboring ruler of Basra. The Arabic word for small fortress is "kuwait", which soon became the name of the entire area.
Al-Sabah Rule
In 1710, several Bedouin families were forced by drought to leave their homes, in the central part of modern Saudi Arabia. After several decades of wondering around the Arabian peninsula, they gradually, over several waves, made their way to Kuwait, the first arriving in 1710, and the last by 1756. The new arrivals, known as the Bani Utub, gradually took power from the city's old Bani Khalid rulers. The three most powerful Bani Utub families, al-Sabah, al-Khalifa, and al-Jalahima, agreed to share power in the city in 1716. In 1756, Sabah bin Jaber, a member of the al-Sabah family, was elected as sheik, beginning the al-Sabah dynasty that has ruled the country ever since.