Kuwait
The state of Kuwait, with Kuwait City as its capital, is a small country of 17,820 square kilometers (6,879 square miles) located in the Middle East at the top of the Persian Gulf. It is bordered by two large and powerful neighbors: Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north. Kuwait's population is 2.5 million, mostly concentrated in cities on the Persian Gulf coast. Eighty-five percent of the population is Muslim (70 percent Sunni and 30 percent Shia). The remaining 15 percent are Christian, Hindu, and other religious groups. Foreign workers make up 55 percent of the population. Kuwait's land area is almost entirely desert. Its dry desert climate alternates between extremely hot summers and short, cool winters.
History
In the eighteenth century several groups migrated from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula and settled on the site of present-day Kuwait. In 1756 Kuwait came under the control of the al-Sabah family, who established themselves as rulers, and the country enjoyed semiautonomy from the Turkish Ottoman Empire (1299–1922). In 1899, fearing direct rule by Turkey, Sheikh Mubarak "the Great" (1896–1915); signed a treaty with Britain whereby Kuwait became a British protectorate. Under this agreement Britain assumed control of Kuwait's foreign and defense affairs, while the al-Sabahs were allowed to rule over internal matters.
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