Kuwait offers a mixed bag of amazing natural settings that are complemented by a unique heritage. Being one of the fifteen lands that sprawl over the regions of "Cradle of Humanity", this country overflowing with traditional architecture, depicts the historical legacy of the bygone era. Situated at the heart of Middle East, Kuwait is a small nation nestling by the Persian Gulf. Aptly named that means "fortress built near water," this country’s terrain is dominated by vast desert land. The topography displays hardly any altitude difference and more or less flat all over the country. Kuwait consists of total nine islands, Bubiyan being the largest of them.
Archaeological and historical traces suggest that Kuwait was part of the early Mesopotamian civilisation. The 'Anizah’ tribe of central Arabia founded Kuwait City around 18th century A.D. 'Abd Rahim’ of the Al-Sabah became the first sheik, and his descendants continue to rule Kuwait today. After attack and threat from Ottoman Turkish, Kuwait became a British protectorate in 1899. It declared independence on June 19, 1961. Despite the devastations of Gulf War triggered by Iraq, Kuwait has prospered a lot on the basis of the fact that it holds crude oil reserves of 94 billion barrels, which equals 10% of total world reserves.