Kuwait

Kuwait (pop. 44,300), capital and the most important city in the country of Kuwait and founded in the 18th century by a tribal confederation of Arabic people. It is the chief economic center with an excellent harbor on the Persian Gulf. The port was established in the 18th century and was a shipbuilding center. The city is highly modernized because of the wealth generated by the petroleum industry which has developed since the end of World War II. In Aug. of 1990, the military forces of Iraq invaded the nation of Kuwait and occupied the city. This event precipitated the Persian Gulf War.

See also: Persian Gulf War.