Together with Arabic, English is taught in Kuwaiti schools and has a prominent place in the Kuwaitis educational curriculum.
English in Kuwait
English has become a very important language in Kuwait. Together with Arabic, English is taught in Kuwaiti schools and has a prominent place in the Kuwaitis educational curriculum. Educationalists believe that the high demand for a Western education in Kuwaiti has occurred for several reasons –
The perceived importance of an English language education as a preparation for life in general and for further education overseas;
The (perceived) inadequacy of state education; and
The advanced curricula of non-Arabic foreign schools in Kuwait.
Schools teaching both British and American curricula are extremely popular in Kuwait, despite the comparatively high fees being charged. Because of this, it’s not essential for an English-speaking expat to learn how to speak Arabic because many people in Kuwait speak some English. In Kuwait, we see a number of magazines and newspapers available in the English language, in addition to a number of radio and television broadcasts in English. The majority of road signs are in both Arabic translation and English, as are most restaurant and business signs.
Other Languages of Kuwait
Kuwait’s population is comprised of foreigners who’ve arrived from different parts of the world, and this has had a huge effect on the languages spoken in Kuwait. Other languages spoken in Kuwait, besides English and Gulf Arabic translation, include Hindi, Persian, and Urdu. In addition, contributing to the language diversity in Kuwait we see several immigrant groups, like Filipino immigrants, Balochis (an Iranian ethnic group), and Omani.
About Kuwait
As at the year 2013, the population of Kuwait was 3.369 million people.
Kuwait is a middle-eastern constitutional emirate country on the Persian Gulf – it consists of 17,819 sq. km (6,880 sq. Miles) and is situated at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, north-east of Saudi Arabia, south of Iraq. Kuwait’s National name is Dawlat al-Kuwayt. Kuwait’s cultural heritage dates right back to antiquity. On Failaka Island, one can see the ruins from the Mesopotamian era. The capital city of Kuwait is Kuwait City: it’s a modern city with a population of 60,064 and is home to both the Tareq Rajab Museum and the National Museum, including their collections of Islamic art and ethnographic artifacts.
After gaining sovereignty from the United Kingdom in 1961, Kuwait became an independent state. Besides being the political center of Kuwait, Kuwait City is home to its Executive Head of State.
Ethnicity: Kuwait consists of 45% Kuwaiti, 35% Arab, 9% South Asian, 4% Iranian, and 7% other nationalities.
Religion: 85% of the country’s population follow Islam, with the remaining 15% being Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and others.
Kuwait’s Most Popular Cities Include –
No. 1: Al Ahmadi, with a population of 637,411 people;
No. 2: Hawalli, population 164,212;
No. 3: As Salimiyah, population 147,649;
No. 4: Sabah as Salim, population 139,163; and
No. 5: Al Farwaniyah, with a population of 86,525 people.
Interesting Facts about Kuwait
1. Kuwait owns the world’s fifth-largest oil reserves;
2. Kuwait became the first country to introduce the sport of camel racing in 2006, using remote-controlled robot jockeys;
3. The Falcon is the national bird of Kuwait;
4. Kuwait has won just two Olympic medals – both of these were bronze medals for trap shooting;
5. February 25th was Sheikh Abdullah’s anniversary of becoming Emir of Kuwait in 1950. In 2011 on February 26th, Iraq’s occupying forces were forced out of Kuwait.
6. In Kuwait during the month of Ramadan, drinking, eating, dancing, and playing loud music during daylight hours in public are against the law.
7. Kuwait is the only country in the world with no access to natural water supplies from reserves or lakes.
8. Kuwait celebrated its National Day (the anniversary of its Independence) on June 19th until 1962, but to avoid the hot weather of June this was changed in 1963 to February 25th.
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