Kuwait Hotels

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate on the northwestern, bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water." It has a population of 3.1 million and an area of 17,818 km². Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government, with Kuwait City serves as the country's political and economic capital. In 1990, Kuwait was invaded and annexed by neighboring Iraq.

The seven month-long Iraqi occupations came to an end after a direct military intervention by United States-led forces. Nearly 750 Kuwaiti oil wells were set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army resulting in a major environmental and economic catastrophe. Kuwait's infrastructure was badly damaged during the war and had to be rebuilt. Kuwait has the world's fifth largest oil reserves and is one of the richest countries in the world per capita.

Kuwait's oil fields were discovered and exploited in the 1930s and after it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961, the nation's oil industry saw unprecedented growth. Petroleum and petroleum products now account for nearly 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait is regarded as the most developed country in the Arab League. Kuwait, in the cradle of one of the most ancient and most-contested corners of the world, is best described as a city state. The burgeoning capital, Kuwait City is like a magnet: indeed it has been attracting Bedouin people from the Arabian interior, in search of a sea breeze and an escape from recurring drought, for centuries. Today the metropolis is still an oasis in a land of desert plains, but rather more of the cultural and epicurean kind. Excellent museums; a corniche ornamented with combed beaches and extravagant restaurants; modern shopping complexes and marinas, and long and lazy retreats at new beach resorts mark the Kuwait City experience.

West of Kuwait City is Al-Jahara, unfortunately famed for the violence that took place there as Iraqi troops retreated during the Gulf War. Between one ostentatious building project and another, it's almost possible to overlook the Iraqi invasion almost, but not quite. A decade has passed, but Kuwaitis are still smarting from the devastating experience and there are many visible reminders of the war (high security around hotels, and museums dedicated to the invasion). As such, it's surprising to find there is little ostensible animosity between Kuwaitis and their northern neighbours.