Kuwait

Kuwait: population and cities

Population

According to Countryaah website, Kuwait has around 3.6 million residents.

Around 1 million Kuwait people and around 2 million foreigners live in Kuwait, mainly Arabs and Indians.

Religious affiliation

Mainly the residents of Kuwait belong to Islam (65% Sunnis, 35% Shiites) as well as Christianity and Hinduism.

The national language of Kuwait is Arabic. English is the language of business.

Capital and other cities

The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City or Kuwait City with around 70,000 residents.

Other cities are:

• Ash Shuwaykh
• Al Ahmadi
• Hawalli
• Al Jahara
• Al Khiran
• Ash Shuaybah
• Mina al Ahmadi
• Al Fuhayhil
• Burgan
• Al Wafrah

Kuwait: geography

Area and land use

Defined by DigoPaul, the Emirate of Kuwait is the smallest state in the Gulf States.

The country is located on the northwest coast of the Persian Gulf and is one of the hottest and driest areas on earth.

It can get up to 50 degrees in Kuwait. Except in the few oases there is no water inland, neither rivers nor lakes.

The country is characterized by sandy desert and desert steppes. There are some salt marshes on the coast of Kuwait. There are numerous large and small islands in front of the country.

Kuwait covers an area of 17,818 km².

Thereof:

• Meadows and pastures

  About 10% of Kuwait's area is steppe area in which barren shrubs grow, which the nomads use as pastureland.

• Desert

  Around 90% of the country is covered by sandy desert and desert steppes.

National borders

Kuwait has a border with two countries with a total length of 462 km.

Iraq with a length of 240 km

Saudi Arabia with a length of 222 km.

Coastline

Kuwait has a coast to the Persian Gulf with a length of around 500 km.

Tidal range

In Kuwait City, the mean tidal range is between 1 m - 1.50 m.

Longitude and latitude

Kuwait extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):

You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.

Time

In Kuwait it is 2 hours later than here after CET (= mean European time), i.e. the time without summer time:

Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.

Highest point of the sun in Kuwait City

Kuwait City is located at a north latitude of around 29.5 °. When the sun or its pixel is at the tropic, i.e. at a north latitude of 23.5 °, summer starts in Kuwait City, June 21. Then, for the highest position of the sun at noon, according to Eq. 1 (see position of the sun):

29.5 ° = (90 ° - h) + 23.5 °

so:

This is the highest level above the horizon (exactly: above the chimney) that the sun has within the year in Kuwait City.

Mountains

Ash Shakaya With a height of 290 m, the

Ash Shakaya is the highest mountain or the highest elevation in the country.

Islands

The following islands in the

Persian

Gulf are in front of the country: Auhah This island of approx. 39 hectares is located approx. 5 km southeast of Failaka. Except for a small helipad, the island is almost uninhabited.

Bubiyan

Bubiyan covers an area of 863 km², making it the largest island in Kuwait. It is located in the northeast of the Persian Gulf together with other islands west of the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab. The flat island is uninhabited and is currently a restricted military area, but there are plans to build a civil port area on the island. The island is connected to the mainland of Kuwait by a 2.4 km long girder bridge.

Failaka

Probably the most beautiful of Kuwait's islands is this island located about 25 km almost east of the capital in the Persian Gulf. It covers an area of 20 km² and is particularly impressive due to the archaeological excavation sites and the large resort complex in the southern part of the island. In addition to picturesque beaches and sports fields, there are also restaurants and hotels.

Kubbar

Kubbar is an almost circular and only 11 hectare sandy island in the Persian Gulf, which is overgrown with shrubs and bushes. The island is about 35 km off the coast of the country and about 35 km south of Failaka. As the island is surrounded by corals, divers love to come here. Six Iraqi soldiers who died during the Gulf War of 1991 are buried on the island.

Miskan

The island is located between the Kuwaiti mainland and Failaka Island in the Persian Gulf. The distance to the mainland is around 10 km and that to Failaka Island is only around 2.5 km. The uninhabited island covers an area of 75 ha = 0.75 km².

Umm al Maradim

Umm al Maradim (Mother of boulders) is located about 25 km off the coast of Kuwait near the territorial waters of Saudi Arabia. The island covers an area of 65 ha = 0.65 km². Because of its deep water, even large ships can anchor safely here.

Shatt al-Arab, Persian Gulf

Shatt al-Arab

The Shatt al-Arab is a river delta that is formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers near Al Qurnah on the border between Iraq and Iran. Both rivers flow into the Persian Gulf via a widely branched river delda. The river delta or river has a length of around 195 km.

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf lies between Iraq and Iran in the north and east and the Arabian Peninsula in the west. It covers an area of 235,000 km² - with a maximum depth of around 100 m and a water content of around 6,000 km³. In the south it goes over the less than approx. 60 km wide and strategically very important Strait from Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman and then into the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean as part of the Pacific Ocean. In addition to Kuwait, the Persian Gulf also includes the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The inflow of "fresh water" takes place via the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris - the Shatt al-Arab - on the border between Iraq and Iran.