Kuwait lies at the north-west corner of the Arabian Gulf, between 28o and 30o latitudes and between 46o and 48o longitudes. To the north and the west, it shares a border of 240 km (149 miles) with the Republic of Iraq, and to the south and south-west it shares 250 km (155 miles) with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On the east it has a coastline of 290 km (181 miles) on the Arabian Gulf.

Area And Topography

The total area of the State of Kuwait is 17,818 sq km. Most of the mainland is a flat sandy desert gradually sloping towards sea level in the east. It is broken by shallow depressions and low hills, which form a ridge at Jal Al-Zor (145 metres above sea level), cut by the Umm Al-Ramam Wadi. The area is locally known as Ghodai, meaning a hill. The southern part of Kuwait is generally flat, with the exception of Ahmadi hill which is 137 metres above sea level.

The topography consists of a rocky and sandy plain with a few separate hills. The most prominent land feature is Wadi Al-Batin, which lies in the northwestern edge of the country, and whose center forms the Kuwait-Iraq border line.

The Kuwaiti mainland was for a long time a transit area for nomadic tribes and caravans. Such freedom of movement made delineation of borders rather difficult. On July 7, 1965, a neutral zone was created between the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The northern part of the partitioned zone is administered by Kuwait, whilst the southern part is the administrative responsibility of Saudi Arabia. The crude oil extracted from the partitioned zone is equally shared by both countries.

In addition to the mainland, Kuwait occupies a number of offshore islands, the largest of which is Bubyan . To the north of Bubyan lies Warbah Island. Failaka Island lies at the inlet of Kuwait Bay, and beside it lie the two smaller islands of Miskan and Awhah, The other small islands are Kubbar, Qaruh,Umm Al-Maradim and Umm An- Namil.