It's about the size of Slovenia or the US state of New Jersey. Kuwait's land is mostly flat and arid with little or no ground water. The desert is generally gravelly, and the only vegetation in existence is scrub. The only significant geographic feature is the now infamous Al-Mutla ridge, where Allied aircraft massacred a column of retreating Iraqi forces in the closing hours of the Persian Gulf war.
Sandstorms occur throughout the year but are particularly common in spring.
History The headland now occupied by Kuwait City was settled only 300 years ago. Eventually the families living around the fort divided among themselves the responsibilities attached to the new settlement. The Al-Sabah family, whose descendants now rule Kuwait, were appointed to handle local law and order. The small settlement grew quickly. By 1760, when the town's first wall was built, Kuwait's dhow fleet was reckoned to be 800 and its camel caravans travelled regularly to Baghdad and Damascus.