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In the early 17th century Kuwait was known as Qurain (or Grane), from the Arabic words Qarn (a high hill) and Kout (a fortress). Some historians believe that Barrak Bin Ghuraif, Sheikh of the Bani Khalid tribe, built Kuwait in Grane and that since then the city has been referred to by its present name.

Kuwait lies at the north-west corner of the Arabian Gulf, between 28o and 30o latitudes and between 46o and 48o longitudes. To the north and the west, it shares a border of 240 km (149 miles) with the Republic of Iraq, and to the south and south-west it shares 250 km (155 miles) with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On the east it has a coastline of 290 km (181 miles) on the Arabian Gulf.

The total area of the State of Kuwait is 17,818 sq km. Most of the mainland is a flat sandy desert gradually sloping towards sea level in the east. It is broken by shallow depressions and low hills, which form a ridge at Jal Al-Zor (145 metres above sea level), cut by the Umm Al-Ramam Wadi. The area is locally known as Ghodai, meaning a hill. The southern part of Kuwait is generally flat, with the exception of Ahmadi hill which is 137 metres above sea level.

The Kuwaiti mainland, with no mountains, rivers or other natural features, was for a long time a transit area for nomadic tribes and caravans. Such freedom of movement made delineation of borders rather difficult. On July 7, 1965, a neutral zone was created between the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The northern part of the partitioned zone is administered by Kuwait, whilst the southern part is the administrative responsibility of Saudi Arabia. The crude oil extracted from the partitioned zone is equally shared by both countries.

Due to the location of Kuwait in the Sahara geographical region, the weather of the country is characterised by long, hot and dry summers and short, warm and sometimes rainy winters. Dust storms almost always occur with a rise in humidity during summer.

Kuwait is a look at something completely different, a country far from the western world in sight and sound. Arab in tradition and culture, Muslim in beliefs and religion, Kuwait offers something rarely seen by the average traveler. Far from the poverty of the "third world", thanks to the discovery of oil, Kuwait is a modern bustling country mixed with old world traditions and desert bedouin tribes. From camel races and women dressed showing only their eyes to cell phones and the latest Gucci handbags, Kuwait offers an interesting taste of both old and new. So take a peek...

Places of Interest:

Islands
There are nine islands off the coast of Kuwait: Failaka, Bubiyan, Miskan, Warba, Auhha, Umm Al-Maradim, Umm Al-Naml, Kubbar and Qaruh.

Bubiyan, the largest island of the State, has an area of 863 sq km and is connected with the mainland by a concrete bridge. Warba, at the north extremity of the Gulf, occupies an area of 37 sq km. Miskan and Auhha lie on the north and the south of Failaka island, respectively. Located at the mouth of Kuwait Bay, a lot of Islamic antiquities have been found on Umm Al-Naml island. Kubbar and Qaruh lie at the southern end of the Gulf and have been the favourite homes for large flocks of sea birds.

Lying 20 km north-east of Kuwait city, the island of Failaka is the most beautiful and famous of Kuwait's islands. It combines the ancient history of Kuwait, dating back to the early Stone Age and the modern history of Kuwait, when the early Utubs settled in after their long journey, prior to their settlement on the Kuwaiti mainland in the late 17th century.

A 21-km submarine pipeline connecting the island to the mainland provides the inhabitants with more than 100 million gallons of sweet water every year. Parallel to the submarine water pipeline there are three submarine power cables from Kuwait City providing electrical energy to the island.

Failaka island has become a modern tourist attraction, keeping abreast of all aspects of modern progress. Every day, before the Iraqi aggression, visitors were carried from the mainland at Ras Al-Ardh (Salmiyah) to the island by ferry boats belonging to the Public Transport Company, to relax and swim in its lazuline waters. Much of their leisure time was spent at its five million sq metre tourist complex, located in the southern part of Failaka, which contains a good number of swimming pools, sports playgrounds and restaurants.

Kuwait
Kuwait City is the capital of Kuwait. Although it goes back a long time in history, the present day city is very modern.

Kuwait City is a bustling metropolis of high-rise office buildings, luxury hotels, wide boulevards and well-tended parks and gardens. Its seaport is used by oil tankers, cargo ships and many pleasure craft. Its most dominant landmark is Kuwait Towers, and its oldest is Seif Palace, built in 1896, whose interior features original Islamic mosaic tilework, though these suffered badly during the Iraqi occupation.

The Kuwait Museum was also stripped of many artefacts - part of it has been renovated and is now open to the public. Rebuilding work has still not begun on the Islamic Museum, which was badly hit during the war.

Hawalli
Hawalli is an area about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south-east of Kuwait City. It is a mainly residential area between the 3rd Ring Road to the north and the 4th Ring Road to the south with Maidan Hawalli and Sha'ab to the east and Rawda to the west. It is really a suburb of Kuwait City but was one of the first established. There is a good deal of redevelopment going on at the moment (October 2004) and many of the older buildings are being cleared to make way for new apartment blocks and shopping complexes. Althought mainly residential there are many shops along Tunis Street and Beirut Street including one or two modern shopping malls. There are also the usual fast food outlets (KFC, Burger King etc).

Ahmadi
Kuwait’s oil town lies about 40 kilometers south of the City, and is attractively laid out in tree-lined avenues fringed by small houses with well-tended gardens giving it a park like appearance.

Culture

In Arabic, islam means submission and a muslim is one who submits to God's will. Kuwait's brand of Islam is not as strict as Saudi Arabia's, but the country isn't exactly liberal. The essence of Islam is the belief that there is only one god, and Mohammed is his prophet. It is the people's duty to believe in and serve Allah in the manner that is laid out in the Quran. Most Kuwaitis are Sunni Muslims, though there's a substantial Shiite minority. The official language of Kuwait is Arabic, but English is widely understood.

While not an ethnic group, Bedouin are archetypal Arabs: the camel-herding nomads who travel the deserts in search of food. From among their ranks came the warriors who spread Islam to North Africa and Persia 1400 years ago. Today Bedouin are found mainly in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, but their numbers are unknown due to their habit of wandering where no census-taker would dare. Cultural foundations do their part to preserve Bedouin art traditions, especially weaving, but the arts scene in Kuwait is otherwise fairly limited. The Bedouin loom is called Al-Sadu. Textiles are manufactured from sheep wool, dyed, then intricately woven.

Fuul, felafel and houmos are the three staples of the Middle East, and you'll find them at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fuul is a paste made from fava beans, garlic and lemon, usually served swimming in oil. Felafel is deep-fried balls of chickpea paste with spices, served in a piece of khobz (Arabic flat bread) with pickled vegetables or tomato. Houmos is cooked chickpeas ground into a paste and mixed with garlic and lemon. Arabic bread is eaten with absolutely everything and is also called aish, meaning 'life'. It's round and flat and makes a good filler. Main dishes are usually chicken, kebabs or meat and vegetable stews. A lot of Kuwait's restaurants are Indian, which rarely have anything other than biryanis (a spicy rice dish) on the menu. Western fast foods abound. Coffeehouses (qahwa) are a great social institution in Kuwait. Forget about alcohol which is banned by Muslim law. Don't even try to smuggle in a bottle of your favourite drop; your bags will almost certainly be inspected on arrival.

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