How does the oil play a big role in Kuwait economy Essay

How does the oil play a big role in Kuwait economy - Essay Example Kuwait has beautiful sandy beaches along the turquoise blue Gulf. In the southwest of the country, the landscape rises to a maximum elevation of 306 meters (1,004 feet). Islam is the predominant religion of Kuwait. Most of the Kuwaitis are Muslims are generally very conservative and governed by traditions and practices from very long ago. The Kuwaiti society is very family oriented. Kuwaiti families are usually quite large, and many different families are interconnected and related to one another through ancestry and marriage. For a country of such small size, Kuwait boasts a very broad and rich culture, containing a particular heritage and encompassing certain trends whose roots are embedded in the cultural traditions of antiquity. Kuwait holds a strong tie to its past, and the government takes pride in its assistance in the retaining of historical artifacts and antiques, as well as in the preservation of the arts and modern cultural endeavors. The official language of Kuwait is Arabic. All members of the government are required to have a working knowledge of Arabic in order to be eligible for the post. English is also widely spoken and is the country's official second language. Kuwait's government plays a dominant role in the country's economy. The government employs 92 percent of the population. Kuwait was the first Arab country in the Gulf to have an elected parliament. Moves to change the male-dominated political structure culminated in the granting of full political rights to women in 2005. Kuwait's most pressing environmental challenge is its limited water resources. In this regard, Kuwait has developed some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities, which now provide much of Kuwait's water. History of oil in Kuwait. Until the discovery of oil in the region in 1911 by a British concern, the Arab states in the gulf were weak and the faltering economies. The numerous rulers in small pockets kept up their autonomy with the help of the British. The Sultan of Omar was the largest of them all and but he couldn't further his rule because of the resistance. The Anglo Persian Oil Company or APOC was the first to start producing oil in Iran. In 1932 Standard Oil Company of California (Socal) discovered oil in commercial quantities in Bahrain. Socal then obtained a concession in Saudi Arabia in 1933 and discovered oil in commercial quantities in 1938. This triggered a flurry of oil exploration in the Gulf States in the 1930's. United States and Britain were the two main nations competing for the oil concessions. The new Iranian Government of Reza Shah Pahlavi revoked APOC's concession. Although the Shah and the British later agreed on new terms, the threat of losing Iranian oil convinced the British in particular that they must find other sources. The small states of the Persian Gulf were a natural place to look due to similar geological conditions to those in Iran. This did not mean immediate wealth for the Arab countries. Large deposits of oils were found in Bahrain. Oman was unable to export until 1967 and it was 1950 by the time oil rich states found it to be commercially beneficial. The oil fields in Kuwait were developed the fastest, and by 1953 that nation had