The majority of Kuwaiti nationals are Sunni Muslims; the minority are Shia. Figures have never been published on the number of Shia, but estimates in the 1980s ranged from 15 to 25 percent of the national population. Shia are a diverse group.
Officially name: The State of Kuwait
Capital: Kuwait City
Largest city: Kuwait City
Official language: Arabic
Government: Constitutional hereditary emirate
Kuwait, or State of Kuwait, an independent Arab sheikhdom on the Arabian Peninsula, in southwestern Asia. It lies at the head of the Persian Gulf and is bordered by Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait's area is 6,880 square miles (17,818 km 2 ).