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Brief History
About the Geography
Kuwait is located in the Middle East. It shares its borders with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Iraq. Most of the country is a flat desert plain broken by coastal dunes and escarpments, while marshes and salt depressions are found around Kuwait Bay. There is an oasis in Jahra. Kuwait has nine offshore islands situated in the Arabian Gulf.
Kuwait is essentially a city-state. There are smaller communities inland and to the south, but most of the population lives in Kuwait City.
Kuwaiti Landmarks
Kuwait has many historic and modern landmarks. One of the most important is the Kuwait Towers. The Kuwait towers were designed to resemble traditional Arabian Rose water sprinklers. Inside the structure there is a superb coffee house and a revolving observation platform.
The Sadu House is a prominent cultural center, which mainly exhibits Bedouin arts. Visitors can observe Bedouin women weaving, buy handicrafts, or even take weaving classes.
City Gates - The walls surrounding old Kuwait City - were torn down in 1957 but the city gates are still standing and are well worth visiting.
Other places of interest:
- Sief Palace
- National Museum
- Science and Natural History Museum
- Green Island
- Entertainment City
- Old Souk
- Friday Souk
- Kuwait Scientific center
- Fishermen's Niga'
- Dixon's House
- The Sour (old surrounding walls) of Kuwait
Climate
Kuwait's weather consists mostly of long hot summers and short winters. Dust storms and humidity occur regularly during the summer period while in the winter it can get quite chilly and rain can fall in sudden heavy but irregular bursts.
Hints for Visitors
- Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, especially during the summer.
- When exposed to the sun, drink plenty of fluids.
The People
 Kuwaitis make up around 37% of the population while the other 63% consists of non-Kuwaitis. This makes Kuwait an interesting multiracial and multicultural country to visit. According to a report written at the end of June 2001 by the Ministry of Planning the estimated population of Kuwait is 2,228,363. 826,083 of these are Kuwaiti while the other 1,402,280 are expatriates.
The Language
The official and native language of Kuwait is Arabic. Though Kuwaitis speak the Gulf dialect all other Arabic dialects are also understood. English is also widely used in the State of Kuwait.
Business Hours
The work week is mostly from Saturday to Wednesday, with Thursday and Friday making up the weekend. Banks and insurance companies work Sundays through Thursdays in order to coordinate with the international money markets and many private offices work half days on Thursdays. The government day is from 7:300 AM to 1:30 PM in the winter and 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the summer. The hours of private companies vary, with some working split shifts around a long mid - day break, while others have adapted to a western work day. Shops are generally open from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and from 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Some malls have adopted a 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM working day. However all timings are liable to change during Ramadan, with working hours becoming very irregular and shorter.
Currency
The unit of currency is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KD). 1KD is made up of 1000 Fils. The Kuwaiti Dinar is one of the strongest currencies in the Gulf.
Notes - 20, 10, 5, 1, 1/2, 1/4
Coins - 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 1 fils
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