also Kuwait City The capital of Kuwait, in the east-central part of the country on the Persian Gulf. It was heavily damaged during the Persian Gulf War. Population: 32,400.
Kuwait
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Ku·wait (kū-wāt')  |
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Capital of Kuwait.
The origins of modern Kuwait appear to date to a settlement generally identified on early maps as Grane, a phonetic spelling of of Qurayn (Arabic for either "hillock" or "little horn," both describing features of the coast). By the last third of the eighteenth century, the name Kuwait ("little fort") also was used by the migrating clans from central Arabia who had settled there. In the nineteenth century, Kuwait developed into a significant entrepôt, the home port of large trading vessels. Shipbuilding was a major industry, along with pearl fishing, which employed some 700 ships and 15,000 men by the early twentieth century. The town was walled in 1920 during four months of furious preparation to defend it against bedouin marauders, an event laying the groundwork for the state's current definition of citizenship. Residents of the town in 1920 and their descendants became "first category" citizens under the nationality law of 1959.
With the influx of oil wealth in the 1950s, the town was transformed. Under a master plan drawn up by a British firm, most of the old city was razed and rebuilt to contemporary Western tastes. Between 1960 and 1964 the Palestinian-American architect and city planner Saba George Shiber sought to reincorporate elements of Kuwait's past into the city's urban landscape. His influence is visible in the National Assembly building and the seafront water towers.
The 1990 to 1991 Iraqi occupation and war inflicted extensive damage on buildings and infrastructure in the city. Remnants of the wall and its gates were almost totally lost, the Dasman and Sief Palaces were damaged extensively, and the old suq was destroyed. Much of the new Kuwait was trashed as well. Public and private buildings, including homes, were filled with broken furniture, damaged books and papers, and occasional strategic deposits of human waste. An appalling wreckage was left in the Kuwait Museum, a complex housing a notable collection of Islamic art whose courtyard on the seafront had been home to a now-missing old Kuwaiti dhow.
Postwar rehabilitation proceeded rapidly and has been overtaken by new construction. The city center has acquired new high-rises. There is an explosion of growth in the suburbs, especially in Salmiya, which now sports American-style malls and a seafront aquarium. Prior to the invasion, urban sprawl spilled primarily southward, along the coast beyond Salmiya and inland to suburbs such as Jabriya and Rumaythiya. Now the city is spreading north and west as well, past the health and science complexes lying beyond the university's Shuwaykh campus, and inland, toward Jahra.
What has not changed is the traffic. The city hub is surrounded by a series of concentric arcs - the Ring Roads - connected by major thoroughfare and highway "spokes." On and off the highways, the city is beset by traffic congestion with its associated noise, pollution, accidents, and parking problems. The population of Kuwait in 2004 was 2,257,549 residents.
Bibliography
Bonine, Michael E. "The Urbanization of the Persian Gulf Nations." In The Persian Gulf States: A General Survey, edited by Alvin J. Cottrell. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980.
Crystal, Jill. Kuwait: The Transformation of an Oil State. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1992.
— MALCOLM C. PECK
UPDATED BY MARY ANN TÉTREAULT
| Local Time: Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Wikipedia: Kuwait City |
| Kuwait City مدينة الكويت Madinat Al Kuwayt |
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| Coordinates: 29°22′11″N 47°58′42″E / 29.36972°N 47.97833°ECoordinates: 29°22′11″N 47°58′42″E / 29.36972°N 47.97833°E | |
| Country | Kuwait |
| Governorate | Al Asimah |
| Area | |
| - Metro | 200 km2 (77.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2005 estimate) | |
| - City | 96,100 |
| - Metro | 2,380,000 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Kuwait City (Arabic: مدينة الكويت, transliteration: Madīnat al-Kuwayt), is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. It has an estimated population of 63,600 (2006 estimate)[citation needed] within city limits and 2.38 million in the metropolitan area. Located at the heart of the country on the shore of the Persian Gulf, and containing Kuwait's parliament (Majlis Al-Umma), most governmental offices, the headquarters of most Kuwaiti corporations and banks, it is the indisputable political, cultural and economic center of the emirate.
Kuwait City’s trade and transportation needs are served by Kuwait International Airport, Mina Al-Shuwaik (Shuwaik Port) and Mina al-Ahmadi (Ahmadi Port) 50 kilometers to the south, on the Persian Gulf coast.
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History
Kuwait City was first settled in the early 18th Century by the Al-Sabāh clan, later the ruling family of Kuwait and a branch of the Al-Utūb tribe (that also included the Al-Khalīfah clan, the ruling family of Bahrain), and their leader, Sheikh Sabāh I. Its name may have derived from an earlier abandoned fort located there, called "Kūt" (كوت) - Arabic for a fortress by the sea.
The settlement grew quickly, and by the time its first wall was built (1760), the town had its own dhow fleet of about 800 and trading relations to Baghdad and Damascus. It was a successful and thriving sea port by the early 19th Century.
It was unclear whether or not Kuwait was part of the Ottoman Empire, and as a result, tensions often broke out between the sheikhdom and the empire. These tensions peaked when, in 1896, Sheikh Mubārak Al-Sabāh assassinated his brother, the emir Muhammad Al-Sabāh, over Mubārak's deep suspicion that the Ottoman Empire was willing to annex Kuwait.
In exchange for British naval protection, Mubārak was not to negotiate or give territory to any other foreign power without British consent. With the discovery of oil in 1936, the city’s standard of living improved dramatically, including health and education services.
On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces seized the city and on August 8 they annexed the emirate. During the occupation, the city was extensively damaged and many buildings were destroyed after it, including the Kuwait National Museum.
After Iraqi forces retreated from Kuwait in January-February 1991, foreign investors and the Kuwaiti government were actively involved in modernizing the city and turning it into a world-class business hub. Many hotels, shopping malls and offices were built in the city indicating the economic growth since the war.
Suburbs
Main article: List of cities in Kuwait
Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:
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Economy
Kuwait’s booming economy has allowed many international hotel chains to enter agreements to open hotels in the country. According to the Kuwait Hotel Owners Association, over twenty-five new hotels are planned or in construction, including the following:
- Golden Tulip Kuwait - opening late 2009
- Hotel Missoni Kuwait - opening late 2009
- Hilton Olympia Kuwait - opening late 2009
- Ibis Sharq - opening late 2009
- Jumeirah Messilah Beach Kuwait - opening early 2010
- InterContinental Kuwait Downtown - opening late 2010
- InterContinental Kuwait at The White - opening late 2010
- The Square Capital Tower - opening late 2011
- Novotel Mina Abdullah Resort - opening late 2011
- Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at The Gate of Kuwait - plans are in motion to open within the next few years.
By 2010, over 3,000 rooms are expected to be added to Kuwait’s current hotel inventory.
Climate
Kuwait City has an arid climate, featuring very hot summers. High temperatures typically range from 110-115 degrees during the summer and a Kuwait City summer heatwave can see temperatures soar as high as 125 degrees. Winter temperatures are much cooler than summer. Kuwait City sees some rain during the winter at times but during summers, rain is rare. The wettest month is January. During spring, average temperatures start to warm up. Some rain is possible in the early spring. Dust storms occur at times during summer from the shamal wind. Dust storms can occur anytime of year but occur mostly during summer. During autumn, temperatures begin to cool down and duststorms occur less frequently. Around November, rain becomes more frequent.
| Weather data for Kuwait City | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
20 (68) |
25 (77) |
31 (88) |
38 (100) |
43 (109) |
44 (111) |
44 (111) |
41 (106) |
35 (95) |
27 (81) |
20 (68) |
32.2 (90) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
10 (50) |
14 (57) |
19 (66) |
24 (75) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
25 (77) |
21 (70) |
15 (59) |
9 (48) |
19.3 (67) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 24 (0.94) |
14 (0.55) |
14 (0.55) |
17 (0.67) |
3 (0.12) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.04) |
16 (0.63) |
22 (0.87) |
111 (4.37) |
| Avg. rainy days | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 31 |
| Source: Weather.com[1] January 6, 2009 | |||||||||||||
Transport
In 2008, work started on a railway network. connecting the Persian Gulf states.[2]
International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Kuwait
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kuwait City is twinned with:
See also
External links
- (German) Kuwait City at "goruma"
- Kuwait Directory
References
- ^ "Climate Guides - Weather2Travel.com". www.weather2travel.com. http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/index.php?destination=Kuwait/. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ Railway Gazette International January 2009 p21 with map
- ^ http://www.beirut.gov.lb/MCMSTest/Menu-Pages/SisterCitiesEN.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fwww%2ebeirut%2egov%2elb%2fMCMSEN%2fTwinning%2bthe%2bCities%2f&NRNODEGUID=%7b18839037-0140-436E-A1AF-7F8F3693C3E6%7d&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest#
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_Asia#Iran
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- War in the Gulf: The Complete Story of the Persian Gulf War - Desert Storm, The Ground Assault (1991 History Film)
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