|
Location
 Map illustrating Kuwait's borders with the Arab states of the Gulf Kuwait is located in the northwestern part of the Arabian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia in the south and Iraq in the north. It lies between latitudes 28,30 and 30,06 north, and longitudes 46,30 and 49,00 east. Kuwait lies in a semi-tropical region with a total area of about 18,000 Km.
Topography
Kuwait is distinguished by its flat topography, broken only by occasional low hills and shallow depressions. Kuwait’s terrain is a slightly uneven desert, sloping gradually from sea level in the east, from the coast of the Arabian Gulf to the west and southwest. The southwestern corner reaches as high as 300 meters above sea level.
Kuwaiti Terrain Map There are also small hills, such as the Jal Al-Zour Ridge that overlooks the northern coast of Kuwait Bay and is as high as 145 meters. There are other hills at Al-Laiyah and Keraa Al-Marw, in addition to some valleys and lowlands, locally known as the Al-Khubarat, and sand dunes. Among the known valleys are the Al-Baten Valley that goes along the western borders of Kuwait, and the Al-Sheqaq Valleys in the northwestern part of Kuwait. The Al-Khubarat Valleys are found in different places, but the most important of them are Al-Rawdatain and Umm Al-Aish in the north.
Climate
Kuwait has hot, dry desert climate through out the entire year, and is hotter in the summer, which starts in April and ends in October. Temperatures reach 51° C in the summer. The average temperature is 44° C, often with dust storms.
The winter in Kuwait is short but warm. Temperature in the winter is around 18° C, but sometimes is as low as zero. The autumn and spring are short seasons in Kuwait, and occasional rain falls only in the winter and varies in quantity from one year to the other.
The Capital
 Kuwait City – the capital of Kuwait - lies on the northern coast of Kuwait Bay, provided natural protection by the sea.
The city was founded in that location about three centuries ago. It has expanded and developed over the years and became an important capital when three protecting walls were built around the city in the years 1760, 1811 and 1920.
Starting in 1950, the city witnessed a renaissance in construction and housing based on successive well-planned governmental projects to modernize the city.
The city’s area has doubled, modern construction has reached places outside the city’s old walls, and new roads were built to connect it with other parts of the country.
Population Growth
Historically, data on the population of Kuwait depended mainly on estimates recorded by travelers who used to pass through Kuwait. The first official census was done in 1957, estimating the population at 206,473 persons, including 92,851 non-Kuwaitis. In 1961, the population reached 321,621 persons, comprising 62% males and 37% females. The gap in gender percentage resulted from immigrants who started to arrive in Kuwait at that time in large numbers.
Since 1965, Kuwait has conducted regular censuses every five years.
In 1985, the population reached 1,697,301 persons, 56% of whom were males and 44% were females. In 1990, the population reached 2,141,465 persons, including 72% non-Kuwaitis. In that year, major changes in living conditions occurred in Kuwait as a result of the Iraqi aggression and the sudden emigration of a large number of non-Kuwaitis. In 1995, the population reached 1,577,598 persons, 58% of whom were non-Kuwaitis.
Most of the population resides in Kuwait City and its suburbs, especially in places that overlook the coast of the Arabian Gulf.
|