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 Capital City: Kuwait
 Population: 2,418,393
 National Holiday: National Day, 25 February (1950)
Brief History: Kuwait has been a part of the Abbasid empire from the 8th century, and was later incorporated in the Ottoman Empire (16th century), where it was eventually granted some degree of autonomy as a principality; the current ruling family are descendants from these princes.
The 17th century saw the Arabian Peninsula in tumultuous times. What is now Kuwait was land occupied by tribes being used for spice trades in India. In the 18th century, most locals made a living selling pearls. However, as pearl farming developed in Japan during the 1930s, Kuwait became impoverished. In 1899, growing British influence led to Kuwait becoming a British protectorate. Oil turned Kuwait into one of the richest countries in the Arab peninsula; in 1953 the country became the largest exporter of oil in the gulf, attracting many immigrant laborers who were rarely granted citizenship. Kuwait, having ammassed great wealth, was the first of the Gulf-Arab states to declare independence in 1961. This declaration was challenged by Iraq until 1963.
After being allied with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, Kuwait was occupied and annexed by Iraq in August 1990. An American-led alliance repelled the Iraqi forces and reinstated the emir. |
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