कुवैत

Understand

Kuwait has a population of 3,806,616 (Jun 2012), including about 2 million non-Kuwaitis, with ethnic groups consisting of 45% Kuwaiti, 35% other Arabs, among whom Egyptians predominate, 9% South Asian, 4% Iranian, and 7% others. Kuwait ranks among the most liberal Gulf nations in terms of religion. While Islam is the official religion with fully 85% of the population practicing the Muslim faith (divided into 70% Sunni and 30% Shia), others including Christians, Hindus and Zoroastrians make up 15% of the population.

The country is divided into governorates, which are divided into areas, which are divided into blocks. Knowing the area and block is necessary, as the street numbers may be repeated across different blocks of the same areas. Area names are not repeated across the country, so it would be unusual if you mention the governorate after the area. See the Get around section.

Electrical current is 220 Volts a/c, plugs are either standard British, Europlugs (2 prong diamond-shaped) or German Schuko variety—adapters are readily available.

Get in

thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Kuwait, with countries in green having visa-free access; and countries in yellow having visa on arrival or eVisa

Get around

thumb|Kuwait City skyline during daytime With an area of , Kuwait is among the smallest countries in the world and you can easily cover the country in less than 2-3 days. A journey from the capital city to Umm Qasr in Iraq will take you roughly 60-80 minutes depending on traffic conditions.

See

thumb|Ruins on Failaka Island See Kuwait City for listings of attractions in the city. Kuwait is not the ideal vacation spot in the region, but if on a business trip, there are some sites worth seeing:

Do

thumb|Avenues shopping mall. Like other Gulf states, Kuwait is known for its malls. See Kuwait City for more activities in the city.

Eat

thumb|Kiwi kebab, anyone? thumb|...or dates from the market? There is a huge array of restaurants in Kuwait. Because nightlife is virtually non-existent, most people go out to restaurants and malls. A wide variety of international cuisines is available in high-end restaurants, although some heavily pork-based cuisines (German, e.g.) are conspicuously absent. Kuwait is known for its culinary specialties and catering services. Restaurants can be found in food courts in malls, and alternatively many international restaurants are grouped together in certain areas in Kuwait, namely: Behind the Roman Catholic Church in Kuwait City Outside the Mövenpick Resort in Al-Bida'a, near Rumaithiya and Salmiya In the Marina Crescent