A nation in Western Asia, Kuwait is officially known as the State of Kuwait. It borders Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north in the northern part of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf. Iran and Kuwait also share maritime borders. Kuwait's coastline measures approximately 500 kilometers (311 miles). The urban agglomeration of Kuwait City, the country's capital, is home to the majority of the population. 4.45 million people live in Kuwait as of 2022. Of these, 1.45 million are citizens of Kuwait, and the remaining 3.00 million are foreigners from more than 100 nations.

The majority of Kuwait today was once a part of Mesopotamia. Kuwait was a crucial port for trade between India, Persia, and Mesopotamia prior to oil. In 1938, oil reserves in commercial quantities were discovered. Crude oil was exported for the very first time in 1946. The country underwent extensive modernization from 1946 to 1982, largely funded by oil production revenue. After the crash of the stock market in the 1980s, Kuwait went through a time of geopolitical instability and an economic crisis. After disagreements over oil production with Iraq, Kuwait was invaded in 1990 and later annexed into one of Iraq's governorates by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. On February 26, 1991, a military coalition led by the United States and other nations intervened militarily to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.