History
Kuwait, located in the northwestern part of the Arabian Gulf, dates back to 1613, when a group of families and tribes emigrated from neighbouring lands to settle here. Once Kuwaiti society had achieved stability, the need for leadership and political representation became more apparent and so, from as early as the 18th century to the present day, the Al Sabah family have ruled Kuwait, and lead its development into a major force in the Arab world. In the mid-1930s the country began work on its petroleum industry—the basis of the country’s modern prosperity—and oil was discovered in 1938. In the 1991 Gulf War, the city was invaded and seized by Iraqi forces. Under Iraqi occupation, Kuwait City was renamed Saddam City in honour of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
It returned to its original name once the Iraqi troops were expelled. The State of Kuwait was referred to by the name ‘Qurain’ in the early 17th century. The names Qurain and Kuwait are diminutives of the Arabic words qarn and kut; qarn is a high hill and kut is a small fortress.
Politics
Kuwait is the only Arab Gulf state with an elected parliament. The country’s unicameral parliament, the National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma), consists of 50 members who are voted for by a select electorate. Members are elected to four-year terms and the entire body stands for election at the same time. The Amir has the power to adjourn the Assembly for a period not exceeding one month and may also dissolve the Assembly and call for new elections within two months.
Religion
Almost all of the population of Kuwait are Muslims, half being Sunni and a third Shi’ite Muslim. There are small Christian, Hindu and Parsi communities, as well as other Muslim groups. Roman Catholic, Church of England and Armenian, Greek, Coptic and Syrian Orthodox churches cater for the expatriate communities.
Economy
Corporate and government business dominates the economy, with over 90% of travel to the country being for business rather than leisure. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of Kuwait’s GDP, 95% of export revenues and 80% of government income. The Kuwaiti government is aware of the finite nature of its petroleum, albeit not in the immediate future, and has maintained a ‘reserve fund for future generations’ into which 10% of oil sector revenues is channelled. Kuwait’s climate limits agricultural development and the country therefore depends almost entirely on imports for food. The introduction of the yearly Hala Shopping Festival, a planned City Centre Mall and other tourist developments is enabling Kuwait’s capital to compete with it’s Arabic neighbours in terms of tourism. Projects like the Kuwait Free-Trade Zone, which includes a high-tech Future Zone similar to Dubai Internet City, are attracting foreign companies seeking to tap Middle East markets.
Population
With a population of around 152,000, Arab nationals represent over 55% of the city’s inhabitants while South Asians make up just over 40%. Europeans and Americans constitute about 5%.