Kuwait City

Kuwait City, capital of Kuwait and a port on Kuwait Bay (an arm of the Persian Gulf). Also called al-Kuwayt. Wealth from oilfields in the coastal desert and in the gulf has been used to make the city one of the most modern in the Middle East. An important oil port, Kuwait produces petrochemicals and other petroleum products and is a flourishing trade and financial centre. Shrimp and pearls are obtained from the Persian Gulf. The city is the site of Kuwait University (1962); vocational, technical, and teacher training colleges; and a state museum. Founded in the early 18th century, Kuwait was once planned to be a terminus for a projected Berlin-Baghdad railway. It began to expand after World War II with the development of the petroleum industry. In the early 1990s it faced the problems of recovering from the severe damage inflicted during the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and the Gulf War. The name is also spelled al-Kuwait, Kuweit, or Koweit. Population 1,222,000 (2003 estimate).