Geography of Kuwait
Continent | Asia |
---|---|
Region | Middle East |
Coordinates | 29°30′N 47°45′E / 29.500°N 47.750°E |
Area | Ranked 152nd |
• Total | 17,820 km2 (6,880 sq mi) |
• Land | 100% |
• Water | 0% |
Coastline | 499 km (310 mi) |
Highest point | Mutla Ridge 306 m (1,004 ft) |
Lowest point | Persian Gulf 0 m (0 ft) |
Longest river | No permanent rivers |
Largest lake | None |
Climate | Arid climate |
Natural resources | Petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas |
Natural hazards | Dust storms, sand storms, flash floods, thunderstorms |
Environmental issues | Air pollution, water pollution, desertification, limited natural fresh water |
Exclusive economic zone | 11,026 km2 (4,257 sq mi) |
Kuwait is a country in West Asia, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait is located at the far northwestern corner of the Persian Gulf. Kuwait is 17,820 square kilometres in size. At its most distant points, it is about 200 km (120 mi) north to south, and 170 km (110 mi) east to west. Kuwait has 10 islands. Kuwait's area consists mostly of desert.
Boundaries and geographic features
As previously mentioned, Kuwait borders the
Kuwait's most prominent geographic feature is Kuwait Bay (Jun al Kuwayt), which indents the shoreline for about forty kilometers, providing natural protection for the port of Kuwait, and accounts for nearly one third of the country's shoreline.[1]
To the north and northwest, there is the historically contested border between Kuwait and Iraq.[1] Although the Iraqi government, which had first asserted a claim to rule Kuwait in 1938, recognized the borders with Kuwait in 1963 (based on agreements made earlier in the century), it continued to press Kuwait for control over Bubiyan and Warbah islands through the 1960s and 1970s.[1]
To the south and southwest, Kuwait shares a 250-km border with Saudi Arabia.
In August 1990,
Climate
Kuwait has an
By November summer is over, and colder winter weather sets in, dropping temperatures to as low as 3 °C (37 °F) at night; daytime temperatures are in the upper 20s °C (upper 70s to low 80s °F).[1] Frost rarely occurs; rain is more common and falls mostly in the spring.[1]
Kuwait's winter is colder than in other
Climate data for Kuwait City | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) |
35.8 (96.4) |
41.2 (106.2) |
44.2 (111.6) |
49.0 (120.2) |
49.8 (121.6) |
52.1 (125.8) |
50.7 (123.3) |
47.7 (117.9) |
43.7 (110.7) |
37.9 (100.2) |
30.5 (86.9) |
52.1 (125.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.5 (67.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
40.9 (105.6) |
45.5 (113.9) |
46.7 (116.1) |
46.9 (116.4) |
43.7 (110.7) |
36.6 (97.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
34.3 (93.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
14.0 (57.2) |
19.5 (67.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
28.9 (84.0) |
30.7 (87.3) |
29.5 (85.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
21.5 (70.7) |
14.5 (58.1) |
9.9 (49.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −4.0 (24.8) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
6.9 (44.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
20.4 (68.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
16.0 (60.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 30.2 (1.19) |
10.5 (0.41) |
18.2 (0.72) |
11.5 (0.45) |
0.4 (0.02) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.4 (0.06) |
18.5 (0.73) |
25.5 (1.00) |
116.2 (4.57) |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 198.1 | 222.5 | 217.6 | 229.3 | 272.5 | 304.5 | 307.1 | 301.6 | 285.1 | 252.2 | 216.5 | 193.5 | 3,000.5 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 7.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 9.4 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 10.8 | 10.2 | 9.0 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 8.8 |
Percent possible sunshine | 68 | 69 | 63 | 62 | 69 | 77 | 76 | 78 | 77 | 79 | 72 | 67 | 72 |
Source: World Meteorological Organization (temperature and rainfall 1994–2008);[7] NOAA (sunshine and records, 1961–1990);[8] Wundergound (2012 records)[9] |
Nature reserves
At present, there are five
Biodiversity
Currently, 444 species of birds have been recorded in Kuwait, 18 species of which breed in the country.[11] Due to its location at the head of the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the Tigris–Euphrates river, Kuwait is situated at the crossroads of many major bird migration routes and between two and three million birds pass each year.[12] Kuwait's marine and littoral ecosystems contain the bulk of the country's biodiversity heritage.[12] The marshes in northern Kuwait and Jahra have become increasingly important as a refuge for passage migrants.[12]
Twenty eight species of mammal are found in Kuwait; animals such as gerboa, desert rabbits and
Kuwait, Oman and Yemen are the only locations where the endangered smoothtooth blacktip shark is confirmed as occurring.[13]
Kuwaiti islands are important breeding areas for four species of tern and the socotra cormorant.[12] Kubbar Island has been recognised an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of white-cheeked terns.[14]
Geology and aquifers
The land was formed in a recent geologic era. In the south, limestone rises in a long, north-oriented dome that lies beneath the surface.[1] It is within and below this formation that the principal oil fields, Kuwait's most important natural resource, are located.[1] In the west and north, layers of sand, gravel, silt, and clay overlie the limestone to a depth of more than 210 meters.[1] The upper portions of these beds are part of a mass of sediment deposited by a great wadi whose most recent channel was the Wadi al Batin, the broad shallow valley forming the western boundary of the country.[1]
On the western side of the
Water and marshes
Kuwait is part of the
Kuwait relies on water desalination as a primary source of fresh water for drinking and domestic purposes.[28][29] There are currently more than six desalination plants.[29] Kuwait was the first country in the world to use desalination to supply water for large-scale domestic use. The history of desalination in Kuwait dates back to 1951 when the first distillation plant was commissioned.[28]
Kuwait's fresh water resources are limited to groundwater, desalinated seawater, and treated wastewater effluents.[28] There are three major municipal wastewater treatment plants.[28] Most water demand is currently satisfied through seawater desalination plants.[28][29] Sewage disposal is handled by a national sewage network that covers 98% of facilities in the country.[30]
Human geography
The bulk of the Kuwaiti population lives in the coastal capital of the city of Kuwait. Smaller populations inhabit the nearby city of Al Jahrah, smaller desert and coastal towns, and, prior to the Persian Gulf War, some of the several nearby gulf islands, notably Faylakah.[1]
Area boundaries
- Area
-
- Total: 17,818 km²
- Land: 17,818 km²
- Water: 0 km²
- Area—comparative
- Slightly smaller than Fiji
- Land boundaries
-
- Total: 475 km
- Border countries: Iraq 254 km, Saudi Arabia 221 km
- Coastline
- 499 km
- Maritime claims
- Exclusive Economic Zone
- 11,026 km2 (4,257 sq mi)
- Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
- Elevation extremes
-
- Lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
- Highest point: Mutla Ridge 306 m
Resources and land use
- Natural resources
- Petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
- Land use
-
- Arable land: 0.6%
- Permanent crops: 0.3%
- Permanent pasture: 7.6%
- Forest: 0.4%
- Other: 91.1% (2011)
- Irrigated land
- 86 km² (2007)
- Total renewable water resources
- 0.02 km3 (2011)
- Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
-
- Total: 0.91 km3/yr (47%/2%/51%)
- Per capita: 441.2 m3/yr (2005)
Environmental concerns
- Natural hazards
- Sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April – they bring heavy rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August
- Environment—current issues
- Limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
- Environment—international agreements
-
- Party to: Law of the Sea
- Party to:
References
- ^ OCLC 29548413.
- ^ "Iraq". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2000. Archived from the original on 11 December 2000. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Crossette, Barbara (11 November 1994). "Iraqis to accept Kuwait's borders". The New York Times. p. A1.
- ^ "WMO verifies 3rd and 4th hottest temperature recorded on Earth". public.wmo.int/en. World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 18 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ^ "Upgraded HWRF and GFDL Hurricane Models Excelled During Hurricane Arthur". Weather Underground. USA: Dr. Jeff Masters. 11 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Surveying and Establishment of a Comprehensive Database for the Marine Environment of Kuwait eMISK" (PDF).
- ^ "World Weather Information Service – Kuwait City". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ "Kuwait International Airport Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ "Dr. Jeff Masters' article published January 2013". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ a b c Ramsar (7 September 2015). "Kuwait becomes Ramsar state". BirdGuides. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ Lepage, Denis. "Checklist of birds of Kuwait". Bird Checklists of the World. Avibase.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "National Biodiversity Strategy for the State of Kuwait". 7 September 2015. p. 12. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016.
- PMID 33360724.
- ^ "Kubbar Island". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- S2CID 247361048.
- ISBN 9783642237430.
The Tigris-Euphrates-Shatt al Arab is shared between Iraq, Iran, Syria, Kuwait and Turkey.
- ^ Rubec, Clayton (2009). "The Key Biodiversity Areas Project in Iraq: Objectives and scope 2004–2008": 40.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Lower Tigris & Euphrates". feow.org. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Lower Tigris & Euphrates". feow.org.
- ^ Bozkurt, Deniz; Omer Lutfi Sen (2012). "Hydrological response of past and future climate changes in the Euphrates-Tigris Basin" (PDF). p. 1.
The Euphrates-Tigris Basin, covering areas in five countries (Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Kuwait), is a major water resource of the Middle East.
- ISBN 9780804777490.
- S2CID 248250022.
- ISBN 9783030167752.
- S2CID 248237509.
- ISBN 9781780238913.
- ^ Wadi Al-Bāṭin.
- ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c "Irrigation in the near east region in figures". Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ "Regulations of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Kuwait". Beatona. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
Attribution:
- This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.