CH.WN.Kuw.aFM.Final.q 4/26/02 1:58 PM Page AFGHANISTAN AUSTRIA BAHRAIN BERMUDA CHINA CUBA EGYPT ETHIOPIA REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA GERMANY KUWAIT IRAN IRAQ ISRAEL MEXICO NEW ZEALAND PAKISTAN RUSSIA SAUDI ARABIA SCOTLAND SOUTH KOREA UKRAINE CH.WN.Kuw.aFM.Final.q 4/26/02 1:58 PM Page CH.WN.Kuw.aFM.Final.q 4/26/02 1:58 PM Page Kuwait Dr Solomon A Isiorho Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne Series Consulting Editor Charles F Gritzner South Dakota State University Chelsea House Publishers Philadelphia Frontispiece: Flag of Kuwait Cover: Kuwait City at nightfall CHELSEA HOUSE PUBLISHERS EDITOR IN CHIEF Sally Cheney DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Kim Shinners CREATIVE MANAGER Takeshi Takahashi MANUFACTURING MANAGER Diann Grasse Staff for KUWAIT EDITOR Lee Marcott PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Jaimie Winkler PICTURE RESEARCHER 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc COVER AND SERIES DESIGNER Takeshi Takahashi LAYOUT 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc ©2002 by Chelsea House Publishers, a subsidiary of Haights Cross Communications All rights reserved Printed and bound in the United States of America http://www.chelseahouse.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Isiorho, S A (Solomon A.) Kuwait / S.A Isiorho p cm — (Modern world nations) Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 0-7910-7105-7 — ISBN 0-7910-6781-5 (HC) Kuwait I Title II Series DS247.K8 I82 2002 953.67—dc21 2002004479 CH.WN.Kuw.aFM.Final.q 4/26/02 1:58 PM Page Table of Contents Introduction to Kuwait The Natural Environment 15 A Proud Past 25 Islam in Kuwait 39 The People and Culture of Kuwait 51 Government 67 Economy 79 The Gulf War 89 Leisure Time in Kuwait 10 Kuwait Looks Ahead Facts at a Glance History at a Glance Bibliography Index 101 107 110 111 112 113 CH.WN.Kuw.aFM.Final.q 4/26/02 1:58 PM Page CH.WN.Kuw.aFM.Final.q 4/26/02 1:58 PM Page Kuwait CH.WN.Kuw.C01.Final.q 4/26/02 1:57 PM Page A Kuwaiti man and woman in traditional clothing walk by the coastline in Kuwait City CH.WN.Kuw.C01.Final.q 4/26/02 1:57 PM Page Introduction to Kuwait “W ar,” said American writer Ambrose Bierce, “is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” Although written nearly a century ago, his observation certainly holds true in regard to Kuwait This small, little known, Middle Eastern country suddenly was thrust onto the global stage in August 1990, when it was attacked and overrun by military forces from neighboring Iraq American and other military forces immediately intervened in defense of Kuwait in what came to be known as the “Gulf War.” As a result of widespread media attention and the active participation of thousands of American troops in the conflict, Americans learned a great deal about Kuwait’s geographic conditions Kuwait is located on the northeastern corner of the ... Isiorho, S A (Solomon A.) Kuwait / S.A Isiorho p cm — (Modern world nations) Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 0-7910-7105-7 — ISBN 0-7910-6781-5 (HC) Kuwait I Title II Series... Introduction to Kuwait The Natural Environment 15 A Proud Past 25 Islam in Kuwait 39 The People and Culture of Kuwait 51 Government 67 Economy 79 The Gulf War 89 Leisure Time in Kuwait 10 Kuwait Looks... surrounding Arab nations, the Kuwaiti Arabs enjoy a modern and industrialized society At times, however, the old values and ways of doing things conflict with the changes brought about by modernization