1. Kuwait is known as the “Hollywood of the Gulf” because of the international popularity of its soap operas and theatres. Kuwait is the only country in the gulf with a theatrical tradition and Kuwaiti poetry film, radio, and television also flourishes in neighboring countries.
2. Did you know? Kuwait is building the world’s tallest skyscrape?. The proposed 1,001m (3,284ft) Burj Mubarak al-Kabir is expected to be completed in 2030. Its height is a reference to the classic collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian folk tales, One Thousand and One Arabian Nights.
3. Kuwait is home to more than 20 art galleries. The Sultan Gallery was the first art gallery in the Gulf region. Khalifa Al-Qattan was the first Kuwaiti artist to hold a single artist art exhibition in Kuwait. He founded a new art theory in the early 1960’s known as “circulism”.
4. Kuwait has the third-lowest death rate in the world after Qatar and the UAE. On average, there are only 2.3 deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear.
5. Did you know, that Kuwait’s economy is mostly petroleum based? The country has the sixth largest oil reserves in the world. Cost of oil production in Kuwait is the lowest in the world because the oil lies close to the surface of the earth, making it easy and economical to lift to the top.
6. This is one of the most amazing facts about Kuwait that being a highly developed economy, Kuwait’s currency ‘Kuwaiti Dinar’ is the highest-valued currency in the world.You will receive just 0.30 Kuwait dinar after exchanging 1 US dollar, making the Kuwaiti dinar simply ‘the world’s strongest currency’.
7. In 2006, Kuwait became the first country to introduce the sport of camel racing, with remote controlled robot jockeys. At present, the Kuwait Camel Racing Club is the only official camel racing club operated under the aegis of the Youth and Sports Foundation. The good news is that the club is open to the public for free.
8. The JACC or Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre is an opera house and a cultural center located in Kuwait City. It is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. The entire complex has an area of 214,000 square meters.
9. The Burgan Field in southeastern Kuwait is the world’s second-largest sandstone oil field. Overall, it is the second-largest oil field globally after the Ghawar Field in Saudi Arabia.
10. Dust/dirt devils are called “djin” meaning “genie” or “devil” in Kuwait. This is where the mythical genie came from and why genies are typically depicted without legs.
11. In 2001, archaeologists believe they discovered the remains of the world’s oldest ocean-going boat in Kuwait. The bitumen pieces indented with reeds and barnacles date from around 5000 BC.
