Kuwait

Kuwait is a Muslim country located in the Middle East. Forty-five percent of the nation's citizens classify themselves as Kuwaitis, and 35 percent as Arabs. After several decades as a British protectorate, Kuwait achieved independence in 1961. With a per capita income of $55,800, Kuwait is the seventh richest country in the world. Ninety-eight percent of the population live in urban areas, and more than 99 percent of the workforce are engaged in either service or industry. Kuwait is ranked 31st on the United Nations Development Programme list of countries with very high human development.

As a major and strategically located oil-producing nation, Kuwait forged alliances with key Western nations and organizations, notably the United States. In 1991 when Iraq attacked the small nation, the United ...