Wikijunior:Asia/Kuwait

Kuwait

Kuwait is a country which is relatively a desert, except for Al-Jahrāʾ oasis, at the western end of Kuwait Bay, and a few fertile patches in the southeastern and coastal areas. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic diminutive of the Hindustani kūt which translated to English word “fort”. The tiny country, which was a British protectorate from 1899 until 1961, drew world attention in 1990 when Iraq armed forces invaded and attempted to annex it. A United Nations coalition led by the United States drove Iraq’s army out of Kuwait within days of launching an offensive in February 1991, but the retreating invaders looted the country and set fire to most of its oil wells (see Persian Gulf War). Kuwait has largely recovered from the effects of the war.

The capital city is Kuwait city and currency used is Kuwaiti dinar

Where is Kuwait?

Kuwait is located at the north west of Persian gulf which bordering the Saudi Arabia to its south west, Iraq to its north west and Iran to its north east.

How many people live in Kuwait?

According to the last population census in 2005, it is estimated 2.2 million people living there. It is estimated 1.3 millions of the country's population is comprised of expatriates (non-citizen, migrant workers that are working in Kuwait) meanwhie the rest are the Kuwaitis.

What are the most common languages in Kuwait?

Arabic is the official language of Kuwait, but English is widely spoken. It is used in business and is a compulsory second language in schools. Among the non-Kuwaiti population, many people speak Farsi, the official language of Iran, or Urdu, the official language of Pakistan.

What is the most common religion in Kuwait?

Around 76% of the population are Muslim, (Roughly 60% are Sunni and 15% Shia). The remaining 17% of the population are Christians followed by numerous religions, most popularly Hindi and Parsi.

What is the sport of Kuwait?

Falconry is an ancient sport with recorded evidence dating back to paintings made in Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago.This sports is once a hunting tools for the Bedouin tribes and now evolves into the national sport of Kuwait and originally developed thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia, of which modern-day Kuwait was once a part.

The rules of the falconry sport-game are simple, the pigeon are let go first (which are seasoned with spices in order for the falcon to track its scent). The falcons are later released after a determined amount of time after pigeon is released. The falcons that able to catch the pigeons and return to the owner first are considered winner.

However, due to the over hunting of game (prey animals) and, after 1990 (Gulf Wars) the presence of unexploded land mines in the desert have reduced its practice.

What are some important sites?

Kuwait Tower - It is a group of three slender towers that symbolizes Kuwait’s economic resurgence and also World cultural as well as touristic landmark. The structure is often referred to as Kuwait tower in singular although there are three towers. The Kuwait Towers delightfully suggest a combination of traditional Islamic design and modern architectural themes, with comparisons being made to blue-tiled mosques and slender minarets of Samarkand and Bukhara. The easy visibility and popularity of the towers with photographers is also due to the fact that there are no other high rise buildings in the general area of the Kuwait Towers. Ever since the official inauguration of the towers, they have come to signify the prosperity and opulence that has boosted this previously sleepy backwater country into the world’s tenth richest country per capita.

Seif Palace - It is also known as Al-Seif Palace, is a historic palace which is one of the most interesting landmarks of the capital city of the State of Kuwait, Kuwait City.It is considered that there were always structures built on the same place since 1896, where the construction for the palace we see today began in 1904, and it was built by Sheikh Mubarak.The used construction material is something what can be found within the country, such as clay, rocks, limestone, wood and metals, where the major and well known feature of the palace is the watch tower which is covered in blue tiles and there is too a roof which is plated in pure gold, making it a wonderful example of Islamic architecture with original Islamic mosaic tile works.After the first Gulf War, the tower was severely damaged from an incoming missile, which too destroyed the dial room.

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