The State of Kuwait is a small constitutional monarchy on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water."
The history of Kuwait goes back to the year 1613 AD. The country was formed when several clans from different Middle Eastern tribes settled near the area now known as the "Kuwait Bay". The word Kuwait came from the small Kout (or castle) of Bin eree'er who was the prince of bani Khaled tribe. Tribes came mainly from central Arabia (specifically the region of Nejd), and northern Arabia. Today, Nejd is part of Saudi Arabia, while northern Arabia is divided between the modern states of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. However, some clans also came from other parts of the region, including Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, to name a few.
The current rulers of the country (the Al-Sabah family) are descended from Sabah I, who was chosen by the community, which was composed mainly of traders. The duties of the rulers include administering the affairs of the State, including foreign affairs and taxation/duties. However, the ruler/Emir has little political role in modern governments due to the influence of State Prime ministers.
The Al-Sabah family was chosen by the people of Kuwait. This process is known as "mubaya'a", which means "to give one's self" in Arabic. Before the Kuwaiti constitution was drafted, the Al-Sabah family ruled Kuwait in practice (de facto). Anyone else had the ability to be appointed as ruler of Kuwait, as long as the majority of citizens wanted them.
The area that is now Kuwait was occupied by tribes and used for spice trading from India. By the eighteenth century, most of the local people made a living selling pearls. But as pearl farming developed in Japan during the 1930s, the Kuwaiti market diminished.
During the 18th Century, Qurain (the small horn) which is the old name of Kuwait was protected by Bani Khaled Tribe.
In the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, the British concurred with the Ottoman Empire in defining Kuwait as an "autonomous caza" of the Ottoman Empire and that the Shaikhs of Kuwait were not independent leaders, but rather qaimmaqams (provincial sub-governors) of the Ottoman government. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire was financially crippled and the invading British forces invalidated the Anglo-Ottoman Convention, declaring Kuwait to be an "independent sheikhdom under British protectorate." More on Kuwait
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