Kuwait City ( ; Arabic: مدينة الكويت, romanised: Madīnat al-Kuwayt) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic primate city of the emirate, being home to the headquarters of most Kuwaiti corporations and the entirety of its banking system.
As of 2018, the metropolitan area had roughly three million inhabitants (more than 70% of the country's population). The city itself has no administrative status. All six governorates of the country contain parts of the urban agglomeration, which is subdivided into numerous areas. In a narrower sense, Kuwait City can also refer only to the town's historic core, which is part of the Capital Governorate and seamlessly merges with the adjacent urban areas.
Kuwait City's trade and transportation needs are served by Kuwait International Airport, Mina Al-Shuwaikh (Shuwaikh Port) and Mina Al Ahmadi (Ahmadi Port).
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History
In the early to mid 1700s, Kuwait City was a small fishing village. Sometime in the mid 1700s, the Bani Utubs settled in Kuwait. At the time of the arrival of the Utubs, Kuwait was inhabited by a few fishermen. In the eighteenth century, Kuwait gradually became a principal commercial centre for the transit of goods between India, Muscat, Baghdad, Persia, and Arabia. By the late 1700s, Kuwait had already established itself as a trading route from the Persian Gulf to Aleppo.
During the Persian siege of Basra in 1775–1779, Iraqi merchants took refuge in Kuwait and were partly instrumental in the expansion of Kuwait's boat-building and trading activities. As a result, Kuwait's maritime commerce boomed. Between the years 1775 and 1779, the Indian trade routes with Baghdad, Aleppo, Smyrna and Constantinople were diverted to Kuwait. The East India Company was diverted to Kuwait in 1792. The East India Company secured the sea routes between Kuwait, India and the east coasts of Africa. After the Persian withdrawal from Basra in 1779, Kuwait continued to attract trade away from Basra.
Kuwait was the centre of boat building in the Persian Gulf region. During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, ship vessels made in Kuwait carried the bulk of trade between the ports of India, East Africa and the Red Sea. Kuwaiti ship vessels were renowned throughout the Indian Ocean. Regional geopolitical turbulence helped foster economic prosperity in Kuwait in the second half of the 18th century. Kuwait became prosperous due to Basra's instability in the late 18th century. At the time, Kuwait functioned partly as a haven for Basra's merchants fleeing Ottoman persecution. According to Palgrave, Kuwaitis developed a reputation as the best sailors in the Persian Gulf.
During the reign of Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwait was dubbed the "Marseille of the Gulf" because its economic vitality attracted a large variety of people. In the first decades of the twentieth century, Kuwait had a well-established elite: wealthy trading families who were linked by marriage and shared economic interests.
In 1937, Freya Stark wrote about the extent of poverty in Kuwait at the time:
Poverty has settled in Kuwait more heavily since my last visit five years ago, both by sea, where the pearl trade continues to decline, and by land, where the blockade established by Saudi Arabia now harms the merchants.
Geography
Kuwait City is located on Kuwait Bay, a natural deep-water harbor. Ninety percent of Kuwait's population lives within the Kuwait Bay coast. The country is generally low-lying, with the highest point being 306 m (1,004 ft) above sea level. It has nine islands, all of which, with the exception of Failaka Island, are uninhabited. With an area of 860 km2 (330 mi2), Bubiyan is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the rest of the country by a 2,380-metre-long (7,808 ft) bridge. The land area is considered arable and sparse vegetation is found along its 499-kilometre-long (310 mi) coastline.
Kuwait's Burgan field has a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels (1.1×1010 m3) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991 Kuwaiti oil fires, more than 500 oil lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km2 (13.8 mi2). The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces. The oil spills during the Gulf War also drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.
Climate
Kuwait City has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) with extremely hot, very prolonged summers and mild, short winters. It is one of the hottest cities in summer on Earth. Average summer high temperatures are above 45 °C (113 °F) for three months of the year, and during heat waves; the daytime temperature regularly exceeds 50 °C (122 °F) with nighttime lows often remaining above 30 °C (86 °F). In winter, nighttime temperatures frequently drop below 8 °C (46 °F). Considering its coastal position and relative distance to the equator in comparison with the hot desert climates in Africa and Saudi Arabia, the heat in the city is rather extreme—being surrounded in almost every direction by the hot desert.
Sand storms occur at times during summer from the shamal wind. Sand storms can occur any time of year but occur mostly during summer, and less frequently during autumn.
Economy
Kuwait has a petroleum-based economy, petroleum and fertilisers are the main export products. As of June 15, 2024 and according to Wise, the Kuwaiti dinar is the highest-valued currency unit in the world. Petroleum accounts for 43% of GDP and 70% of export earnings.
Transport
There are two airports in Kuwait. Kuwait International Airport serves as the principal hub for international air travel. State-owned Kuwait Airways is the largest airline in the country. A portion of the airport complex is designated as Al Mubarak Air Base, which contains the headquarters of the Kuwait Air Force, as well as the Kuwait Air Force Museum. In 2004, the first private airline of Kuwait, Jazeera Airways, was launched. In 2005, the second private airline, Wataniya Airways was founded.
Culture
Museums and cultural centres
Kuwait National Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Maritime Museum, Al Shaheed Park Museums, the Al Sabah Collection, Sadu House, Al Salam Palace, and the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre are considered the most famous museums and cultural centres in Kuwait City.
Theatre
Kuwait is known for its home-grown tradition of theatre. Kuwait is the only Arab country in the Gulf region with a theatrical tradition. The Arabic theatrical movement in Kuwait constitutes a major part of the country's Arabic cultural life. Theatrical activities in Kuwait began in the 1920s when the first spoken dramas were released. Theatre activities are still popular today.
Soap operas
Kuwaiti soap operas (المسلسلات الكويتية) are among the most-watched soap operas in the Arab world. Most Gulf soap operas are based in Kuwait. Although usually performed in the Kuwaiti dialect, they are aired in the majority of Arabic-speaking countries and are highly popular.
Sports
The city is home to the Al Kuwait SC, which has traditionally provided Kuwait's national basketball team with key players.
From 13 to 15 February 2020 it held the first Aquabike World Championship Grand Prix of Kuwait.
Notable people
Abdulhussain Abdulredha (1939–2017), Kuwaiti actor
Rania Al-Abdullah (born 1970 as Rania Al-Yassin), Kuwaiti-born queen consort of Jordan
Saqer Al-Maosherji (born 2008), Kuwaiti racing driver
Yasser Al-Masri (1970–2018), Kuwaiti-born Jordanian actor
Mishary Rashid Alafasy (born 1976), qāriʾ, imam, preacher and nasheed singer
Adline Castelino (born 1998), model, represented India in the Miss Universe 2020 pageant
Diana Karazon (born 1983), Kuwaiti-born Jordanian singer
Saleem Haddad (born 1983), Kuwaiti author and aid worker
Omar Jarun (born 1983), former footballer and currently an assistant coach for Atlanta United 2
Abdulfattah Owainat (born 1972), Kuwaiti-born Palestinian singer and songwriter