Kuwait

Kuwait is located in the Middle East, on the northern edge of eastern Arabia, at the head of the Persian Gulf, neighboring Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south, and sharing a maritime border with Iran. The country has about 500 km of coastline. In the past, much of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient Mesopotamia, a strategic trading port between Mesopotamia, Persia and India before the discovery of oil. Kuwait has 444 species of birds, of which there are 18 species breeding in the country. As the country is located at the head of the Persian Gulf, close to the mouth of the Tigris-Euphrates River, it lies at the crossroads of several important bird migration routes and is passed by two to three million birds every year. The Kuwaiti islands are a key breeding ground for four species of terns and the Socotra Cormorant. Kubbar Island is home to a breeding colony of White-Cheeked Terns, which is why it has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. Kuwait's marine and coastal ecosystems comprise a large part of the country's biodiversity legacy. North Kuwait and Jahrai marshes are increasingly important as a refuge for migratory birds. In the country, there are twenty-eight species of mammals, with animals such as the gerboa, desert rabbits and hedgehogs found in the desert. Endangered mammal species include the Red Fox and the Wild Cat. Forty reptile species were recorded in the area, but none are endemic to Kuwait. Kuwait, together with Oman and Yemen, is the habitat of the endangered Smoothtoothed Blacktip Shark, which has not been encountered anywhere else.