Kuwait: Map & History
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia.
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Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia. With a coastline of approximately 500 km (311 mi), it is situated at the head of the Persian Gulf in the northeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait is geographically the second closest Gulf country to mainland Iran after Iraq. The country is a small city-state; most of the population reside in the urban agglomeration of Kuwait City, the capital and largest city. As of 2024, Kuwait has a population of 4.82 million, of which 1.53 million are Kuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3.29 million are foreign nationals from over 100 countries. In 2024, Kuwait had the world's seventh largest number of foreign nationals as a percentage of the population, where its citizens make up fewer than 30% of the overall population.
Modern Countries Once Part of Kuwait
At its mapped extent, Kuwait covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Kuwait's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Kuwait in Depth
History
Following the post-glacial flooding of the Persian Gulf basin, debris from the Tigris–Euphrates river formed a substantial delta, creating most of the land in present-day Kuwait and establishing the present coastlines. One of the earliest evidence of human presence dates back to the Mesolithic era (c. 8000 BC). Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient Mesopotamia.
During the Ubaid period (c. 5500–3700 BC), Kuwait was the central borderland between Mesopotamia and Eastern Arabia, including Bahra 1 and site H3 in Subiya. One of the world's earliest reed boats was discovered at site H3 dating back to the Ubaid period. Other Neolithic sites are located in Khiran and Sulaibikhat.
Mesopotamians first settled in the Kuwaiti island of Failaka in 2000 BC.
Government and politics
Kuwait is an emirate. The Emir is the head of state, and currently he belongs to the House of Sabah ruling family. The political system consists of an appointed government and judiciary. The Polity data series and Economist Democracy Index both categorize Kuwait as an autocracy. Anthropologist Anh Nga Longva categorizes it as an ethnocracy.
Executive power is exercised by the government. The Emir appoints the prime minister, who in turn chooses the cabinet of ministers comprising the government. In recent decades, numerous policies of the Kuwaiti government have been characterized as "demographic engineering", especially in relation to Kuwait's stateless Bedoon crisis and the history of naturalization in Kuwait.
The Emir appoints the judges.
Economy
Kuwait has a wealthy petroleum-based economy. Its official currency is the Kuwaiti dinar. By various per-capita measures of economic output, Kuwait is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
Since the end of the Gulf War, Kuwait's infrastructure projects market has regularly underperformed due to political deadlocks. In the early 2020s, it was reported that Kuwait was the region's most oil-dependent country with the weakest infrastructure quality and lowest share of economic diversification.
In 2019, Iraq was Kuwait's leading export market and food/agricultural products accounted for 94.2% of total export commodities.
Culture
Kuwait is considered to be a pioneer in the region when it comes to the arts and popular culture. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states. Within the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture of Bahrain; this is evident in the close association between the two states in theatrical productions and soap operas.
Kuwait has the oldest performing arts industry in the Arabian Peninsula.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kuwait (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kuwait: Key Facts
| Capital | Kuwait City |
|---|---|
| Official language | Arabic |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Currency | Kuwaiti dinar |
| Founded | 26 February 1991 |
Preceded by
- Republic of Kuwait
- British protectorate
Facts from Wikidata Q817 (CC0).
Kuwait Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kuwait appears, with the other states of the time.
Kuwait: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Kuwait exist?
Kuwait is dated to 1757 CE – 2024 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of Kuwait?
The capital of Kuwait was Kuwait City.
How large was Kuwait at its peak?
At its peak in 2024 Kuwait covered about 17,395 km².
How did the map of Kuwait change over time?
Kuwait appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1800 CE to 1850 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad