About Kuwait

Location Kuwait lies at northwest corner of the Arabian Gulf, sharing a border of 225 km (150 miles) with the Republic of Iraq, and to the south and southwest it shares a border of 250 km (155 miles) with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To the east it has a coastline of 290 km on the Arabian Gulf. Area The total area of Kuwait is 17,818 square kilometers (6,969 square miles). Most of Kuwait mainland is a flat sandy desert, gradually sloping down from the west towards sea level in the east. Kuwait Islands There are nine islands off the coast of Kuwait, Failaka being the most beautiful island. Failaka was a residential island and had a special beach resort comprising a number of chalets and leisure facilities before the Iraqi invasion, lies deserted now. However Kuwait plans to transform Failaka into a touristic and recreational destination. It will also be linked with the mainland by a 30 km long causeway. Natural Resources Kuwait has a few natural resources other than oil, a gigantic natural harbor, fisheries, and a few sparse water supplies. Oil is Kuwait’s prime natural resource on which its economy depends. The country is reckoned to have reserves of 94.8 billions barrels, about 9.6% of the world total. This ranks it third in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq. At current levels of production, Kuwait has enough oil to last for more than 100 years. Modernization of Kuwait The transformation of Kuwait since the discovery of oil in 1938, goes beyond the urban development of impressive architectural buildings, roads and new townships. It changed the life style once dependent on boat building, fishing, and pearl diving into sophisticated modern living with all round advancement in technology, communication, transport, industry, commerce, financial services, medical, facilities and education.