Line #155 UsefulNotes/Kuwait


1	[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuwait_map_3126.gif]]
2	[[caption-width-right:328: Looks a lot like [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader's helmet]], doesn't it?]]
3
4	Kuwait, officially known as the '''State of Kuwait''' ('''Arabic:''' ''دولة الكويت‎ Dawlat al-Kuwayt''), is a West Asian city-state on the Persian Gulf. It was founded in 1756 by a [[TheAlliance confederation]] of [[TheClan tribes]] in a seaside oasis. It was given the name it has, which is a transliteration of the Arabic word for "seaside fort". In other words the name means roughly "Shoreburg" or "Shorecastle".
5
6	After negotiations, it was agreed that the Al-Sabah tribe would hold the Emirate of Kuwait (not necessarily the biggest piece of the pie, considering all the wealth the other tribes would get from the deal) and the other tribes would be free to trade. This fairly civilized means of settling the issue began Kuwait's history as a MerchantCity.
7
8	Through the years Kuwaitis became known as [[IntrepidMerchant seafarers and caravaners]]. They were also especially known for their [[EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry pearl fishing]]. Currently, you'd be forgiven for thinking every Kuwaiti was an ArabOilSheikh due to the massive petroleum industry and wealth of the Kuwaiti people.
9
10	Currently, they are also known to be fond of churning out [[SoapOpera soap operas]] that are very popular with Gulf Arab countries.
11
12	Politically Kuwait had a pleasantly uneventful history. Though occasionally a power struggle in the desert would bring an army roaring to their gates, their walls were impregnable to any siege techniques available to any prince in the area. The Ottomans were far away and satisfied with nominal tribute, and UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire was inclined to act as their [[BigBrotherInstinct patron]] to protect such things as local trade, policing of the seas, and the BalanceOfPower. On the whole, neither Great Power desired to meddle unbearably. Thus Kuwait's chief worry was negotiations with desert tribes about the proper tolls to be charged.
13
14	When oil was found in the early twentieth century, it changed Kuwait's economy. For one thing, it made it a more attractive tidbit. Kuwait finally came to the world's attention in 1990, when UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein conquered it. For six months, Kuwait became the 19th governorate of UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}}. This threatened to give Saddam control of the [[UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast Middle East]] oil supply. A [[TheAlliance coalition]] was formed and led by the [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks United States]], and the invaders were ejected.
15
16	At the present time Kuwait is recovering from the war in some regards, but the decades have lead to the scars of war being a distant after thought amidst the nation's bustling economy. The Al-Sabah's monopoly of government function has of late been questioned and there has been talk of modifying the local constitution. In terms of religion, Kuwait is less strict than its Saudi neighbor, though censorship of things that are seen as both anti-Islam and anti-state is more present than not. Regardless, this hasn't stopped young Kuwaitis from being big consumers of Western and even Japanese media that manages to get past the censors.
17
18	When portrayed in the media, Kuwait mostly shows up for Gulf War serials and War on Terror productions, the latter usually acting as a host for whatever Western nations are planning.
19
20	Demographically, Kuwait is diverse, due to having more foreign expatriates than the native-born citizens. It once hosted the largest Palestinian community outside of the Levant, though most of them have been expelled, due to their collaboration with Iraq in bringing down the Kuwaiti regime during the Gulf War. The majority of Kuwait's Muslim citizens are, like the royal family, Sunni, with Shia making up the rest. Unlike UsefulNotes/{{Bahrain}}, the Shia are well integrated and have a close relationship with the emirs, as Saddam Hussein found out badly when he tried to rally them up against the government. This relationship also factors in to its sympathy for UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}'s interests during the conflict escalation between it and the UsefulNotes/SaudiArabia-spearheaded Arab/West bloc, with Kuwait being generally passive about Iran's endeavors and alleged support for proxies in the region (although it does support the 2015 Saudi-led invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}}, which aims to topple the Iran-aligned Houthi movement).
21
22	Oh, and its currency is currently the world's most-valued (1 KWD = US$3.29). Funnily enough, the country is only a short distance away from Iran, whose currency is the world's least-valued (1 Kuwaiti dinar is worth around 135,000 Iranian rial in the official exchange rate[[note]]The rial is ''[[RidiculousExchangeRates much]]'' less valuable in the black market, thanks to years of economic blockade imposed by the West towards Iran[[/note]]).
23
24	!! Works:
25	[[AC:Actors]]
26	* Creator/DaisukeTsuji - born in Kuwait to Japanese parents. He currently lives in the US.
27	* Creator/DanaAlQattan - German-Kuwaiti actress.
28	* Halal Bae of [[Characters/CanadasDragRaceSeason3 RuPaul's Drag Race]]
29	[[AC:Animated cartoons]]
30	* ''Animation/Block13''
31	[[AC:Comic Books]]
32	* ComicBook/The99
33	[[AC:Literature]]
34	* ''Literature/TheBambooStalk''
35	[[AC:Musicians]]
36	* Music/DianaHaddad - Lebanese-Kuwaiti musician.
37	[[AC:Myths]]
38	* Myth/ArabMythology
39	----
40	[[AC:The Kuwaiti flag]]
41	https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kuwait_flag_156.png
42	->Like other Arabic Middle Eastern flags, this one uses all four Pan-Arab colors -- the green, white and red horizontal stripes symbolize the land, the Kuwaitis' actions, and the blood of fallen enemies, respectively, while the black truncated triangle on the hoist side commemorates the country's battles.
43	----
44	[[AC:The Kuwaiti national anthem]]
45
46	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
47	->وعلى جبينك طالع السعد
48	->وطني الكويت وطني الكويت
49	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
50
51	->يا مهد آباءالأولو كتبوا
52	->سفرالخلود فنادت الشهب
53	->الله أكبر إنهم عرب
54	->طلعت كواكب جنة الخلد
55
56	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
57	->وعلى جبينك طالع السعد
58	->وطني الكويت وطني الكويت
59	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
60
61	->بوركت يا وطني الكويت لنا
62	->سكنا وعشت على المدى وطنا
63	->يفديك حر في حماك بنى
64	->صرح الحياة بأكرم الأيدي
65
66	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
67	->وعلى جبينك طالع السعد
68	->وطني الكويت وطني الكويت
69	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
70
71	->نحميك يا وطني وشاهدنا
72	->->شرع الهدى والحق رائدنا
73	->وأميرنا للعز قائدنا
74	->رب الحمية صادق الوعد
75
76	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
77	->وعلى جبينك طالع السعد
78	->وطني الكويت وطني الكويت
79	->وطني الكويت سلمت للمجد
80	[[note]]
81	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
82	->Wa-ʿalā jabīnika ṭālaʿa s-saʿdu
83	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt waṭanī l-Kuwayt
84	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
85
86	->Yā mahdu ābāʾu l-ʾūlā katabū
87	->Safar l-xulūdi fa-nādat aš-šuhubu
88	->Allāhu ʾakbaru ʾinnahum ʿArabu
89	->Ṭalaʿat Kawākibu jannati l-xuldi
90
91	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
92	->Wa-ʿalā jabīnika ṭālaʿa s-saʿdu
93	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt waṭanī l-Kuwayt
94	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
95
96	->Būrikta yā waṭanī l-Kuwayt lanā
97	->Sakanan wa-ʿašta ʿalā l-mada waṭanan
98	->Yafdīka ḥurrun fī ḥamayka banā
99	->Ṣarhu l-ḥayati bi-ʾakrami l-ʾaydī
100
101	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
102	->Wa-ʿalā jabīnika ṭālaʿa s-saʿdu
103	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt waṭanī l-Kuwayt
104	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
105
106	->Naḥmīka yā waṭanī wa-šāhidunā
107	->Šarʿu l-huda wa-l-ḥaqqu rāʾidunā
108	->Wa-Amīrunā li-l-izzi qāʾidunā
109	->Rabbu l-ḥamiyati ṣādiqu l-waʿdi
110
111	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
112	->Wa-ʿalā jabīnika ṭālaʿa s-saʿdu
113	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt waṭanī l-Kuwayt
114	->Waṭanī l-Kuwayt salimta li-l-majdi
115	[[/note]]
116
117	--
118
119	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory,
120	->And on your forehead is an omen of fortune.
121	->My homeland Kuwait, my homeland Kuwait,
122	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory.
123
124	->Oh cradle of forefathers, they wrote
125	->A book of eternity, then the meteors called
126	->God is the greatest, indeed Arabs
127	->Ascended as the planets of paradise of perpetuity.
128
129	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory,
130	->And on your forehead is an omen of fortune.
131	->My homeland Kuwait, my homeland Kuwait,
132	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory.
133
134	->Blessed be my homeland Kuwait, for us
135	->It was peaceful, and you lived on the extent of the homeland
136	->Kept free in your protection to build
137	->A palace of life with the most generous arms.
138
139	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory,
140	->And on your forehead is an omen of fortune.
141	->My homeland Kuwait, my homeland Kuwait,
142	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory.
143
144	->Let us protect, oh my homeland, and we witnessed
145	->The revealing of the guidance and the truth, our pioneer,
146	->And our Amir is the powerful, our leader,
147	->The master of my protection, the truthful of the promise.
148
149	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory,
150	->And on your forehead is an omen of fortune.
151	->My homeland Kuwait, my homeland Kuwait,
152	->My homeland Kuwait, you have prospered to glory.
153	----
154	[[AC:Government]]
155	* Unitary constitutional monarchy
156	** Emir: Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
157	** Crown Prince: - (to be determined)
158	** Prime Minister: Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah
159	** Speaker of the National Assembly: Ahmed Al-Sadoun
160	----
161	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
162	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Kuwait City (''مدينة الكويت Madinat Al-Kuwayt'')
163	* '''Population:''' 4,420,110
164	* '''Area:''' 17,818 sq km (6,880 sq mi) (152nd)
165	* '''Currency''': Kuwaiti dinar (د.ك) (KWD)
166	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' KW
167	* '''Country calling code:''' 965
168	* '''Highest point:''' Mutla Ridge (306 m/1,004 ft) (185th)

Context UsefulNotes / Kuwait