Essay, Research Paper: Kuwait

Of all the oil-producing Arab countries of the Middle East, Kuwait was the first one whose entire population came to benefit from its vast petroleum reserves. Many of these reserves lie along its border with Iraq. Kuwait lies at the northeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, on the shore of the Persian Gulf. Like Iraq, which borders it on the north and northwest, and Saudi Arabia, on the south and southwest, Kuwait has a Muslim Arab cultural heritage.
Kuwait is a good example of a traditional society that advanced rapidly into the 20th century because of its oil wealth. In the early 1950s the nation's capital, Kuwait City, was a fortified town surrounded by a mud wall for protection against raiding tribes. Today, the city has high-rise buildings, a busy port, stores that sell the latest products, and an extensive petrochemical industry.
The state of Kuwait covers only 6,880 square miles (17,820 square kilometers). The country is largely desert, but it has 120 miles (190 kilometers) of coastline. A number of small offshore islands, including Faylakah, Bubiyan, and Warbah, belong to Kuwait.
Most urban dwellers live in Kuwait City and its suburbs Al Jahra and Hawalli because of the harsh desert climate farther inland. Maximum temperatures in the desert region usually range between 108 degrees F (42 degrees C) and 115 degrees F (46 degrees C) during the day in summer and drop close to freezing at night in winter. There are occasional dust storms, some accompanied by thunder and light rain. Along the Persian Gulf, the humidity is high, making the summer months very unpleasant. Kuwait's average annual rainfall of less than 6 inches (15 centimeters) occurs almost entirely between November and May.
Although Kuwait is today largely urban, it was traditionally a tribal society composed of groups from the Arabian Peninsula. Many Kuwaitis can trace their origins to such tribes as the Aneza, Ajman, Utaibah, Awazim, and Dawasir. However, a majority of the labor force is non-Kuwaiti. The population of Kuwait is made up of about 52 percent Kuwaitis, 45 percent other Arabs, and 3 percent Asians.
Kuwait's people receive government-subsidized housing, education, and health services. To obtain this assistance, however, they must prove that their families have lived in Kuwait for at least two generations. The continual influx of people from Saudi Arabia results in a population with many recent immigrants who cannot provide such proof, and the government continues to make efforts toward an equitable distribution of social services.
The nomadic Bedouins of Kuwait have virtually disappeared since the early 1960s because of housing built by the government for the rural population. Many of these modern structures include not only fuel supplies and electricity, but also special enclosed courtyards for livestock. Kuwait, therefore, no longer officially has a Bedouin population, but rather a growing suburban populace composed largely of former nomads.
Kuwait is a Muslim nation, with a court system based on a combination of civil and Islamic law. Islam is the state religion, and the official language is Arabic. English is also taught in public schools. Western influences have combined with traditional customs to produce a society with elements of both cultures. Traditional Islamic ways of life have resurged among many Kuwaitis, a trend often reflected in their dress.
About 75 percent of Kuwait's people are literate, a high rate for a Middle Eastern country. Since the 1950s, education has been patterned on Western systems. Women as well as men receive a free education through the university level.
Kuwait's economy is based on petroleum and petrochemicals. The Kuwait Oil Company was established in 1934 by British and American firms. Extensive production did not begin until after World War II, however, when petroleum was discovered in the Neutral Zone shared with Saudi Arabia and, a few years later, in northern Kuwait. In the early 1960s a Japanese petroleum company discovered commercial quantities of offshore petroleum in Kuwaiti waters. Natural gas is utilized by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company's refinery at Ash Shu`aybah. Crude petroleum and petroleum products account for about 90 percent of Kuwait's exports. Less than 1 percent of the economy is based on agriculture.