Kuwait

As I have mentioned before, I am currently stationed in Kuwait, therefore I feel it would be appropriate to give a bit of background history on the country I am currently living in.  I find Kuwait to be intriguing because it is one of the most prosperous countries I have been to in the Middle East.  The western feel of the country gives it a somewhat homey feel, with paved streets, nice cars and modern infrastructure.  It is easy to tell that Kuwait is doing something very right. 

Kuwait gained its independence in 1961 from Brittan, until it was attacked and overran by Iraq August 2^nd 1990.  After a four day battle led by US ground forces Kuwait was liberated from Iraq in 1991.  Kuwait’s ethnic groups include only 45% Kuwaiti and 55% other Arab and South Asian, meaning many of the people have immigrated to the country.  Kuwait has a staggering 98% urban population with a 2.1% annual urbanization rate.  Nearly all of the population of Kuwait lives in an urban area. 

Kuwait’s economic standing is quite interesting.  With a population of 2,650,000 people and a GDP of 158.4 billion, the GDP per capita is a staggering $41,700.  This is quite high as compared to some of the other countries that I have been deployed to.  Kuwait gets most of its revenue from selling oil to the rest of the world.  In fact oil makes up about 95% of Kuwait’s exports. Furthermore, according to the CIA World Fact Book Kuwait has “104 billion barrels- about 7% of the world’s reserve” in its own reserve. As Kuwait begins to become more powerful on the worldly economy field, the government plans to spend over $130 billion over the next five years to diversify the country’s exports and bring in new frontiers of business.

Kuwait is one of the strongholds in the Middle East.  The country has a strong economic standing in the world, and has overcome many obstacles in its short independence.     The Country maybe small, but it has a powerful standing in the world’s petroleum industries, making it a country to be reckoned with. 

 

References:

CIA World Fact Book. Kuwait.  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Hess, Darrel.  Physical Geography: a Landscape Appreciation. Tenth Addition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2011.

Rubenstein, James M. Contemporary Human Geography. 2^nd Ed. Glenview IL. 2013.