Kuwait occupies an area of 17,820 square kilometres, and has nearly 500 kilometres of coastline along the Arabian Gulf. Most of the country is a flat desert plain, broken by coastal dunes, marshes, and salt depressions around Kuwait Bay, and an oasis in Jahra. Coarse grass grows in the desert most of the time. The country has nine off-shore islands. Kuwait is essentially a city-state. There are smaller communities inland and to the south, but the vast majority of people live in Kuwait City on the bay.

In the middle of the summer, Kuwait can have temperatures ranging upwards of 55° Celsius (over 130° Fahrenheit). While any time spent out of doors will be hot indeed, most buildings are air-conditioned, and you may need a jacket or wrap indoors. High temperatures of 35-40° Celsius may last into October, but in the winter the highs fall dramatically, and the nights can be quite chilly. Several times a year the temperature drops below 10° Celsius.

There is an average of 12 centimetres of rain in the winter, usually coming in sudden heavy but irregular bursts, though annual

Soor Street

Desert Landscape

Native Kuwaitis are Arabs, though centuries as an international port have given them a broad ethnic background. The majority of people in Kuwait are laborers and professionals from abroad, making the country an interesting multiracial and multicultural crucible. They come from all over the Arab world, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, China, and beyond.

The official and native language of Kuwait is Arabic, and though Kuwaitis speak the Gulf dialect, all dialects are understood. (Some people exaggerate the differences between the various dialects of Arabic, which are in fact no greater than those