Team Kuwait

Team Kuwait.

GSP Project.

PART I.

• Where is this country located (absolute location and relative location, i.e., what other countries share the border this country of study) (a related map is required)? Is this country landlocked if it is applicable?

Kuwait is a country of Southwest Asia located on coordinates 29.3117° N, 47.4818° E, as its absolute location. For its relative position, it is in the middle East, located in both the eastern and northern hemispheres. Saudi Arabia borders Kuwait to its south, the Persian Gulf to its East, and Iran and Iraq to its North East and West, respectively.  Kuwait is considered a landlocked country due to a lack of access to any considerable water resources. Much as Kuwait is separated by the Khor Abdullah waterway that separates it and Iraq, as it runs from the Persian Gulf, is it still considered landlocked as it lacks the access or border to either of the oceans.

Figure 1: Map of Kuwait.

• How is the boundary line between the two neighboring countries defined? (i.e., natural barriers such as mountains, deserts, seas or simply artificially defined)

The border between Kuwait and its Saudi Arabia to the Persian Gulf border is characterized by an artificial electric and concertina wire fencing. This border type was set up in 1991, due to the directives from the United Nations Security Council (Claire,23). The border between Kuwait and Iraq, as it cuts across the desert, they are separated by the separated Khor Abdullah water which has been a deep source of contention between the two countries.

• What is the major direction of the country? (i.e., roughly from North to South, such as Japan and Taiwan; roughly round such as Cambodia; roughly from West to East, such as Turkey, Turkmenistan; or irregular shape like Thailand; or a city-country like Singapore, and Kuwait)

Just like Singapore, Kuwait is a city country. Kuwait is located on 0m above sea level on its lowest point at the Persian Gulf and about 360m (1004 ft.) above sea level on the highest end at the Mutla ridge. It is wedge-shaped to its West and irregularly shaped to the Eastern side.

• What is the main landform of this country? (i.e. continental, peninsula, archipelago/islands)

The state of Kuwait is majorly formed of flat and barren desert land. A good portion of it is purely made up of sandy plains. This land begins and rises slightly to the southwest as it extends along its border with Saudi Arabia.

PART II.

• What kinds of physical features are there (i.e., representative mountains, major rivers/lakes, deserts, plains, and coastal lines; a related physical map is required)?

Kuwait is known for its continuous desert and relatively flat topography. This sand-covered land has a gradual slope from its East at the sea level (Persian Gulf) to the Southwest and the West. Along the ridge of Jal Al-Zour, are small protruding hills that are spread in Kuwait. This ridge has a height of approximately 145 meters. Other numerously found physical features are lowlands, valleys, and sand dunes. In addition to these features, the state of Kuwait also has nine islands on it. These islands that are spread across Kuwait are the Qaruh island, Bubiyan island, Umm al Maradim Island, Warbah Island, Miskan Island, Failaka Island, Umm an Namil island, Auhah, and Kubbar islands.

• What is the major climate type in this country (i.e., tropical, subtropical, temperate, or mixed with others), and if this country is impacted by a monsoon?

The climate of the State of Kuwait is classified as arid. It is characterized by short cold winters and very long hot summers. It is generally termed as a desert. During springs, thunderstorms are often frequent. Around June and July, sandstorms are also prevalent due to the wind patterns. The averagely high temperatures of Kuwait are about 44.5⁰ C (112⁰ F) around August. Contrary to this, the temperatures around January go to as low as 7⁰C (that is 45⁰F)

• Are there any major natural disasters (or potential disasters) such as earthquake, volcano, and typhoons/cyclones or subject to flooding and drought?

According to an article that appeared in the Arab Times paper titled “Kuwait safe from a natural disaster like earthquakes, tsunamis,” the Kuwait City meteorological expert says the geographical location of Kuwait contributes significantly to its protection against natural disasters such as volcanoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. The reason behind this, as reported in the Aljarida daily, is Kuwait’s land is flat and has no mountains (Curl et al., 15)The expert adds that Kuwait is a desert country. It has a low temperature that does not last more than two weeks and consistently clear skies without clouds. Kuwait has an arid desert climate, thus can be subject to flash floods.

• What are the major crops or cash crops in this country?

In the development of Kuwait, Agriculture takes the smallest percentage. Having a desert climate, Kuwait sustains very minimal vegetation. Most of the land is flat and bare. There exist no rivers, with only a few wadis that fill the spring and winter rains. The poor soils, little water for irrigation, and scanty rainfall have limited farming in Kuwait. For cash crop cultivation purposes, only 0.3% of the total land area is utilized. The other 7.7% is the permanent pasture land. Despite the scarcity of rain and the absence of rivers in Kuwait, Agricultural development has been actively pursued. Farmers have been motivated with the apportionment of arable land at nominal prices with loans and low-cost irrigation. This has enabled the production of vegetables and other crops. Kuwait, in general, produces a few tons of cash crops such as vegetables, fruits ad melons for sale.

• What are the major natural resources (i.e., minerals, gemstones, timbers, precious metals, oil and natural gas, water, etc.) in this country?

In Kuwait, oil and natural gas are the primary natural resources. According to statistics, oil is a critical natural resource in Kuwait, with its oil reserves being around 10% of the world’s total reserves. The oil industry is considered Kuwait’s most important sector as it contributes more than 40% of the country’s GDP. On the other hand, Kuwait, too, has substantial reserves for natural gas. It is for this reason that it is considered one of the top 20 leading as producers in the world.  Another natural resource in Kuwait is the arable land. This occupies about 945 square miles of land for agricultural purposes. Though this sector isn’t really productive because the country is situated in a relatively dry area. Lastly, Kuwait has vast quantities of minerals. Cement production is one area in which the government has heavily invested in as a per of its natural resources.

• What are the major natural ecosystems and their spatial distributions?

Kuwait has three significant ecosystems. This includes the salt marshes or mangrove that is located on the southern coast. The other ecosystem is made up of the rocky desert plains, which form most parts of the inland area. And lastly, are the sand dunes that are most evident in the north-east. Other these three significant ecosystems, Kuwait is home to at least fifty species of mammals and four hundred species of plants. These ecosystems inhabit large mammals, smaller indigenous desert mammals, over forty different species of reptile, invertebrates, and hundreds of birds. Overexploitation of the marine resources and the oil spills is what has damaged the marine life off Kuwait’s coast.

• What are the main ethnic groups of people living there, including their languages and religious practices?

Ethnic Groups.

Unlike in many other countries where one would expect that the natives of the country make up the majority, in Kuwait, the majority of the people are not even Kuwaitis. Of the possible 4.2 million people in Kuwait, the Kuwaitis only form about a third of the population. The ethnic groups by percentage here include; The Kuwaitis 30.5%, other Arabs 27.4%, Asians 40.3%, Africans 1% ad the others including the Americans, Australians, and the Europeans make up the remaining 9% (Yasser, 43).

Languages

The official language of Kuwait is Modern Standard Arabic. Kuwait Arabic is what is used on a daily basis by a majority of the people. English is widely spoken in the country, whereas French is taught as a foreign language to those who wish to learn it. The Kuwait Arabic language borrows a lot from Indian, Turkish, English, Persian, Italian, and Balochi languages because of the business interactions.

Religion.

Islam is the dominating religion among Kuwait citizens. Since most people are of Persian ancestry, about 65% are Sunni, 25% are Shia. In the total population, a few natives are Baha’i Kuwaiti citizens. On the other hand, most of the expatriates are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs.

• List 2 tourist destinations that you are interested in most, and why?

The two tourist attractions destinations that are most attractive and interesting are the Al Shaheed Park and the Marina Mall. I find Al Shaheed Park interesting because this migration corridor, as they put it, presents realistic recreations of the unique birdlife in its natural habitat. The kind of nature at this place is calming and really interesting to interact with. On the other hand, the Marina Mall presents excellent work of modern architecture.  The lots of high street fashion brands are the most attractive aspects of this mall. These features make it a great tourist destination center of Kuwait City.

• What are the main environmental issues or challenges over there?

The general environmental issues in Kuwait include but are not limited to climate change, air and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and loss of Agriculture. Climate change being a global environmental issue, Kuwait is not an exception. The oil production process in the region is anticipated to cause a 1.6⁰ C increase in the climate regionally should no mitigation measures be taken. As a result of this increase in the climatic temperatures, there are anticipated increases in dust storms in the region, a drop of about 2mm/year of rainfall, and a rise in the sea-level along the coastal area. The increase in sea-level thus becomes a threat to the lagoon, the salt marshes, and urban infrastructure.

Air pollution is another key environmental issue in Kuwait. The oil industry is said to produce high amounts of pollution from burning fossil fuels. Oil fires that release a lot of heat and smoke have been of a significant impact on the climate and of damage to the ozone layer. In addition to that, the air pollution has also had a negative effect on the lives of both animals and humans (Ashraf, 19). Lastly, water pollution is another significant challenge to both human and animal life in Kuwait.  The oil fires and continued pollution due to oil mining have rendered some water sources unusable. Diseases are equally most likely to be transmitted through these sources.

• What is the geographic importance of this country, if applicable?

Kuwait has several geographic importance. Because about 10% of the world’s oil wells are found in Kuwait, it places it in an excellent position to contribute to the oil used across the globe. The location of Kuwait and the activities the country is involved in having a direct impact regarding the response to global environmental change. Considering its geographic location, then it becomes necessary to mitigate climate changes to increase the amount of rainfall in the area and increase agricultural activities.

PART III.

List two examples to show how human activities modify the physical environment.

As nature has it, human beings are bound to adapt and then modify the physical environment to suit their own needs for survival. This modification may be positively or negatively geared. This is unlike animals, which entirely depend on the natural environment as it is. Effecting these changes has social, political, and economic implications at all scales from local to global. Two reasons behind this modification may be tearing open the ground to access the mineral ores and terraforming land to allow for construction.

As a result of the alterations, technology and knowledge are what are brought to bear the physical systems. Adjustment in the natural existence of the environment has brought economic prosperity at some times while creating environmental crises at the same time. Take, for instance, the oil mining industry in Kuwait. While cracking the ore to reach the oil wells, the first felt the impact of the mining process is a positive economic impact. The sale of mined oil and oil products are the world is what runs over 70% of its GDP. This is a positive thing for the economy of Kuwait. On the other side of the coin are the negative impacts that come along with the mining processes. This includes air pollution, water pollution, and global climate change due to oil fires and oil spills on the ground.

Construction, on the other hand, takes different forms that are also bound to interfering with the physical environment. This may include deep excavations of a railway line through a natural habitat that interferes with the life in the park. Other structures set say across the rivers or waterfalls in hydroelectric power plants have a significant impact on aquatic life. The construction of large dams has also had a considerable effect on the micro-climate of a particular area.

Part IV.

List three examples to demonstrate how the culture (anything like language, religion, knowledge, technology, lifestyle, sports, etc.) change and spread over time (culture diffusion), through people movement and tourism in particular

Naturally, people of a specific country or continent are well defined by their culture. Culture is what represents the originality and behavior of people. This is regarding the way of life, that is, religion, language, sports, lifestyle, or even the technology that is associated with them. Over time, these aspects that have absolute originality spread and change a few aspects of how things are done elsewhere or instead borrow the way of doing things. Due to movement and tourism, three elements of a culture that are bound to be impacted include a change in lifestyle, knowledge transfer, and religion.

Lifestyle is linked to change from many different angles. This consists of the foods people eat, how they dress, how they talk, and the general social life, including marriage. At the event of tourists visiting a place, these aspects are bound to change to some extent, depending on the part that will have better influential power. The locals are bound to borrow from the tourists, and the tourists, too, will try to imitate how the locals carry about their society in a bid to try and fit in. In the process then emerges cultural change.

Knowledge transfer results from peoples’ movements across the globe. For instance, when a number of experts from the Islamic states settle in a Christian nation as experts, they are bound to set up structures that have Islamic architecture. This overtime may be borrowed by the locals of that are, and the Islamic design is made a part of them.

Upon tourists visiting a place, they are bound to impact on the general behavior of the people. Some people may be forced to adjust from their usual way of doing things to either impress or fit in what the tourists come along with. Should such a behavior persist over time, the people’s way of life completely changes.

Part V.  A)

Please list three countries in which tourism plays a significant role in their economic development.

Tourism is a significant economic feature in some countries. It has three high-priority goals for developing countries, which include employment. Income generation and overall foreign exchange earnings. In some states, tourism is what supports more than 50% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), (Telfer & Sharpley, 23).

Given the complexity of tourism consumption, its economic impact is widely felt in other production sectors. Among the countries that entirely depend on tourism for their economic developments are:

1. Bangladesh
2. Madagascar

• Venezuela

Part V. B)

What are the major tourism activities or types in these above three countries and some related issues if applicable?

Tourism is a trip for recreation, leisure, business, or even religious purposes, Bangladesh, for instance, offers all these facilities. Of the tourism types, Bangladesh offers leisure tourism, cultural tourism, sports tourism, and even business tourism. There are several tourist spots in Bangladesh. This includes; Ratargul, a freshwater swamp forest in Sylhet having the flavor of the amazon forest. Srimongal is another site famously known for having the most extensive tea gardens in the world. The third spot is the Madhabkunda waterfall, which is among the largest waterfalls in Bangladesh, with the greenish beauty of the tea garden and hills.

Madagascar’s major tourism activities, on the other hand, include exploring the wildlife, diving in the Northern coast cities of Diego and Nosy Be. Another exciting event in Madagascar tourism is the whale watching where one can watch the humpback whales near the waters of Saint Marie throughout the entire year.

Like other countries with unique tourism activities, Venezuela is not an exception. There are several events in this place. This includes Viewing the unique lightning seen nowhere else in the world, scuba diving, and the viewing of the highest falls in the world.

Part VI.

Please formulate Two Research Questions from the World Regional Geography East and provide your answers

Easy Questions.

1. Which country of the Middle East is the largest producer and exporter of oil and oil products?

Saudi Arabia.

2. Who currently owns the Persian Gulf speak?

Iran is the current owner of the Persian Gulf with all that happens their being under its control.

Intermediate questions.

1. What is the most exceptional bond of contention between the East and the West countries?

The East-West war has been in existence for the longest time now. A significant cause of these cold wars is the fight for power and the mere question of who is strong to take the mantle of controlling the other. Over time, the West has been the dominating power. But in the recent past, the East now feels more advanced than the West and thus worth taking the mantle. For the instance of Russia, Vladimir Putin seems to have moved from strength to strength and now threatening the European military almost frequently. The economic war between China and the United States also appears to be at its peak.

2. There has been a lot of fight and misunderstandings among the Arabian countries, what could be the reason behind these wars?

Contrary to the usual expectations, the Arab world turns to be at war with itself. Countries are engaged in self-destructive processes over the sectarian. After the 2003 Iraq war that triggered the sectarian groups, these countries have remained at constant which each other. Sectarian hatred has been fanned by both political and religious leaders, all for the sake of struggle for power and influence. The formed divisive slogans such as “resting Israel” and “Bread, Liberation and social justice” of the Arab revolutions continue to divide the Arab world each day (Fawaz, 12).

Advanced Questions.

1. How do we use spatial autocorrelation in reality?

Spatial autocorrelation exists everywhere and plays a vital role in geographical analysis.  The spatial variables used herein violates the assumption of classic statistics as used in the Moran’s index. The spatial autocorrelation brings into play a much easier way of scaling. Geographical data processing has also been made easy and effective.

2. What happens in the Bermuda triangle that makes it a world’s unique feature?

Of the world’s wonders and amazing landmarks is the Bermuda triangle. Over the ages, humans, and scientists to be specific, have not been able to understand the mystery of the Bermuda triangle. Since the 18^th century, the Bermuda triangle has sunk hundreds of ships and planes without a trace. The scientists who tried to explain the event developed issues that touched on hexagonal clouds and atmospheric disturbances to be the cause of this phenomenon (Kusche, 37). Though the plain scientific proof of what exactly happens is not yet out.

References.

Beaugrand, Claire. “Borders and spatial imaginaries in the Kuwaiti identity.” Geopolitics 23.3 (2018): 544-564.

Curl, Herbert Charles, Kenneth Barton, and Lori Harris. “Meteorology and oceanography of the Middle East.” Science Advances 2.6: e1600377.

Telfer, David J., and Richard Sharpley. Tourism and development in the developing world. Routledge, 2015.

Gerges, Fawaz A., ed. The new Middle East: Protest and revolution in the Arab world. Cambridge University Press, 2013.

Kusche, Lawrence David. “The Bermuda Triangle mystery delusion: Looking back after forty years.” Skeptical Inquirer 39.6 (2015): 28-37.

Mahgoub, Yasser. “TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF URBANISM IN KUWAIT.” Open House International 38.4 (2013): 80.

Farahat, Ashraf. “Air pollution in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman): causes, effects, and aerosol categorization.” Arabian Journal of Geosciences 9.3 (2016): 196.