55 Interesting Facts About Kuwait That You Won't Believe
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Located near the tip of the Persian Gulf near Eastern Arabia, Kuwait is a small country in Western Asia known for its oil reserves.
The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City, a large city that is famous for its Kuwait Towers. The official language spoken by the Kuwaiti people is Arabic, with a Kuwaiti dialect.
A little larger in size than the state of Hawaii in the USA, Kuwait is a tiny country bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south and Iraq in the north and west. Kuwait ranks sixth among the largest oil-producing countries in the world.
It contains 8% of the total world’s oil reserves.
An interesting fact about Kuwait is that the Kuwaitis are few in number in their own country, while most of the population consists of expats, among whom Indians constitute the largest section.
A large section of the population suffers from obesity, which is a result of the popularity of fast food chains coupled with the sedentary lifestyle of most people.
If you enjoy this article that has facts about the Kuwait flag and the state of Kuwait, don’t miss out on interesting facts about Bhutan and interesting facts about Chad here on Kidadl.
Kuwait's Culture Facts
Kuwait is a country known for its cultural heritage, and the nation has the largest cultural center in all of the Middle East, the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre, or JACC. It is a huge complex consisting of concert halls, cinemas, libraries, and theaters among others.
The nation has a rich music scene. Kuwait is the birthplace of many musical genres of the Arab world, such as the sawt.
Sawt is an urban music form that was originally played using an ud and a mirwas. A violin was added to it later.
The Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in Kuwait City. It was untouched during the invasion by Iraq. The architecture is splendid, with marble details from Italy and German chandeliers.
The Grand Mosque also houses a replica of the oldest Quran in the world. Scientists have found evidence that the oldest sea-going boat was built in Kuwait.
The remains of the boat point to the fact that the vehicle dates back to 5000 BC. The flag of Kuwait consists of a black truncated triangle with horizontal stripes of green, white, and red. The colors go back to a poem written by Ṣafī ad-Dīn al-Ḥilli in the 13th century.
Kuwait's Food Facts
Kuwaiti cuisine is often overlooked by many people who do not know about the variety and unique dishes of the country. The food in Kuwait is an amalgamation of Arabian and Mediterranean cuisines.
One cannot visit Kuwait and not have Machboos, which is a fragrant rice-based dish with meat. It is the national dish of the country, which people have with dakoos, or a spicy red sauce made up of garlic, chili, and tomatoes. Quozi is another rice-based dish with a whole stuffed lamb served on a bed of rice.
Fish is popular in Kuwait. Khubz is a Kuwaiti flatbread best had with hummus.
The unique dishes of Kuwait are prepared with the use of special techniques such as tabeekh. In this process, the whole meal is cooked over the fire after it is placed in one container.
Marag is another technique in which the primary ingredients are fried first and then the entire dish is cooked over lower heat. Seafood is popular in Kuwait as it is located along the Persian Gulf.
Many people are surprised when they learn that the typical Kuwaiti cuisine consists of thick soups and heavy rice dishes.
Try out traditional home-cooked dishes if you get invited to a Kuwaiti household. It is very important that you read up about dinner table traditions in Kuwait before you go to any local house.
What is Kuwait famous for?
Kuwait is the world’s 21st richest country. It also ranks third among the richest countries in the Middle East due to its GDP when measured per capita, which is based upon PPP (purchasing power parity).
Kuwait’s per capita income is the fourth highest in the world, as per reports by the World Bank. Kuwait was the first country to start the sport of camel racing in 2005. Camel racing is done by humanoid jockeys.
One can enjoy some food while watching the bustling city from the Kuwait Towers, a famous landmark in Kuwait City. The falcon is the national bird of Kuwait.
The bird can be found on currency notes and stamps from the nation. The Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait City is the tallest building in the nation and it is also the 23rd tallest skyscraper in the world. The second tallest tower in the nation is the Liberation Tower.
It is the fifth tallest telecommunication tower in the world. The tower is 1220 ft (371.9 m) tall, which is 131 ft (39.9 m) taller than the Eiffel Tower.
The tower was unveiled on March 10th,1996, by Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. It is a symbol of Kuwait’s resurgence and a representation of Kuwaiti liberation. The currency of Kuwait is the Kuwaiti dinar.
It is the most highly valued currency in the world. Previously, the Gulf rupee was the currency of the nation, which was replaced by the dinar.
Kuwait's History
The name Kuwait comes from the Arabic word ‘Kut’ which means fort. The fortified settlements on the coast of the Arabian Gulf built by nomadic tribes in the 18th century gave the name. This is where modern Kuwait City came to exist.
The nation became a British protectorate in 1899 when Britain agreed to provide naval protection to Kuwait in exchange for Kuwait allowing London to control its foreign affairs. Since 1756, the Al Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait, and it continues to this date.
Kuwait gained complete freedom from the British protectorate in 1961. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 led to the Persian Gulf War of 1991.
During this time, Kuwait City was stripped of its food supplies and consumer goods by Iraqi forces. The city was damaged considerably, and people fled from it. It was rebuilt after the Gulf War.
Kuwait became the first Gulf country to have an elected parliament in 1963, but it took many years for women to establish their right to vote. After a long fight, women were allowed to vote for the first time in 2006.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for interesting facts about Kuwait then why not take a look at interesting facts about Burundi, or interesting facts about Bulgaria?
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature.
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