All About Kuwait
by: Morgan Filips
Country Basics
The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City. Each color on the Flag has a meaning: black symbolizes the defeat of the country`s enemies, green symbolizes the fertility of the land, red symbolizes the enemies bloodshed, and white represents purity.
Geography
Kuwait is in the country of Asia and Saudi Arabia, and Iraq borders it. Most of Kuwait is entirely flat and a dry barren desert of sandy plains. Kuwait`s major landmarks are the Liberation Tower, The Kuwait Towers, Failaka Island, Liberation Monuments, and the Sadu house. There are no permanent bodies of water. There is a lot of oil drilling in Kuwait which is good for the people, but bad for environment.
Government
The type of government Kuwait has is constitutional monarchy. Kuwait`s leader is Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al Sabah. The government is formed by establishing a self governing political unit. Individual rights protected by the constitution are broad and include personal liberty and equality before the law, freedom to hold beliefs and express opinions, and freedom of the press. Citizens are granted social rights such as care for the young and to aid the old, the ill, and the disabled. Duties of the citizens include national defense, observance of the public order and respect for the morals, and payment of taxes. Articles in this constitution have been suspended and reinstated over the years.
Economy
Kuwait is a rich nation with a low percentage of poor people. The type of money Kuwait uses is called Kuwaiti Dinar. Their main exports are crude petroleum, refined petroleum, petroleum gas, gold, and cyclic hydrocarbons. The life expectancy is 78.1 (male), and 78.7 (female). The birth rate is 19.91. The literacy rate in Kuwait is 93.9% with a rank of 103 out of 194. Kuwait`s drinking water source is safe to drink.
Culture
Kuwaiti men wear a dishdasha, a full length robe with a center opening, which has not changed in the past 14 centuries. Headgear includes gahfiya, an egal, and a gutra. Kuwaiti woman wear a traditional dress that is full -length long-sleeved black abaya. The hair and neck is also traditionally covered with a hijab and some addition wear a black veil or burqa which covers the entire face. An embroidered dress called thobe is popular on festive occasions. The most spoken language in Kuwait is Arabic. The majority of Kuwaiti nationals are Sunni Muslims; the minority are Shia. The most popular dish in Kuwait is called "Machboos", which is chicken, beef, or fish on spiced rice.
Climate
Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 43 F to 115 F and is rarely below 36 F or above 118 F. The average yearly rainfall is 4.2 inches. The general weather conditions are subtropical desert, arid hot climate. Kuwait is facing a wide range of climate change including increased yearly temperature water scarcity, desertification, and dust storms. It has high temperature, high humidity and arid lands resulting in seriously degraded soil and land damage in addition to salt water intrusion affecting agricultural land thus, threatening food resources in the region.
History
Since the beginning, Iraq had always claimed Kuwait part of its territory. During the 1980 Iraq-Iran war Kuwait aided Iraq with money, but that didn`t stop them from invading on August 2, 1990. The invaders caused damage to the country`s infrastructure, and looting was wide spread. The treatment of Kuwaitis was brutal. On February 26, 1991, Kuwait was liberated by Operation Desert Storm. This is a memorable day for all Kuwaitis, they celebrate this day with great pride. They show their patriotism by waving the Kuwaiti flag. In 1899, Kuwait became a British colony. In the late 1930`s oil was discovered, and in 1953 the country`s economy prospered as it became that largest oil exporter in the middle east. At first, ownership and revenues were divided between Kuwait and British oil companies, but in 1976, the Kuwaiti government attained full control of the oil industry. Oil made Kuwait one of the richest countries in the world. Today, Kuwait has a reported 10 percent of the world reserves.
compare and contrast: Food and Clothing
Food similarities of Kuwait and the USA are that Kuwaitis socialize in their homes, restaurants, or hotels for dinner. Both countries also eat the same food such as rice, chicken, beef, fish, milk, and eggs. The difference is the way the food is prepared in seasoning & flavor. Kuwait also eats with the right hand only. Prices for food are higher in Kuwait than in the US, and Kuwait does not allow people to drink or sale alcohol.
Clothing similarities are women in Kuwait can wear dresses, and men are allowed to wear shirts and pants in public. Differences are Kuwaitis are not allowed to wear shorts, and women are not allowed to show their knees or shoulders.