February is a beautiful month in Kuwait. The weather is cool and  at its best, (Hooooraayy! ) and super perfect for outdoor activities. This is the best time to spend more time outside and explore because there’s so much things to see. If you’re new in Kuwait, then this is the best time for  Expats to get to know more about this country and participate to this most-awaited national holiday. From the beautiful street decorations up to the fresh spring flowers that adorned the landscapes of Kuwait, the whole K- town becomes alive.

February is the month of the colorful festival “Hala February “  highlighting the National Liberation Day which falls on February 25-26. Usually there are lots of varieties for a month-long activities and events everywhere. From winter Bazaars, Light shows & concerts, Outdoor Markets, desert camps, cultural tours, concert parades,  local community  festivals and so on. There’s so much going on everywhere that your weekend is packed with events to suits your lifestyle. In relation to this festivity, recently, Kuwait flight its 2,000 meters National Flag- (  Guinness World Record by making the Longest Flag-February 9,2016).

When I was a newcomer here, I was amazed while observing  how nationalistic Kuwaiti people are. I distinctively remember how I knew that the festivities have begun. All the villas in our neighborhood has Kuwaiti flag hanged in their  walls. During the whole month of February, Kuwaiti national pride come to super boost. From the Kuwait Towers, up to the smallest Bakalas, the Red, Green & Black color is all around. Small flags adorned the windows, doors, shops and even cars. So many shops that mainly sells are stuff for the Hala February event. They sell costumes, decorations, hats, flags & banners and so much more. Most buildings have beautiful light decorations and shows which are quite a sight at night. It becomes so alive in the evening. This is one of the attractions during this month. If you love Architecture then you’re in a treat, all the towers & Skyscrapers are decorated with  beautiful lights. I love watching them.

Since this post is about the National Day of Kuwait, I think its just  fitting that I shared with you some of the  interesting facts that I have learned about this country . These facts have made this dynamic country to be a popular Expat destination in the Middle East and stand out because of its unique charm, spirit & flaws.Read on.

• Until 1962, Kuwait celebrated its National Day on June 19, the anniversary of its independence, but in 1963 it changed it to February 25 to avoid the hot weather of June.
• February 25 was the anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah becoming Emir of Kuwait in 1950. February 26, 1991 was the day Iraq’s occupying forces were driven out of Kuwait.
• Kuwait has the world’s fifth largest oil reserves.
• The national bird of Kuwait is the Falcon.
• There are 1.43 males to every female in Kuwait.
• In 2006, Kuwait became the first country to introduce the sport of camel racing, with remote controlled robot jockeys.
• When Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait in 1990 and named it the 19th Province of Iraq some dissidents called it “Wimbledon” which is SW19.
• Kuwait has won two Olympic medals, both bronze for Fehaid Al-Dehani at trap shooting.
• Kuwait is the only country in the world with no natural water supply from lakes or reservoirs but it did open its first grass golf course in 2005.
• Eating, drinking, playing loud music and dancing during daylight hours in public are against the law in Kuwait during the month of Ramadan.
• Kuwait is on top  in Fattest Country in the world with 70% of Kuwaiti men over 15 are obese and over 80% of women.
• Coke beats Pepsi internationally but only in the Middle East does Pepsi beat Coke.
• Kuwaiti Dinar (KD ) is the highest valued currency.
• On November 12 2012, Kuwait marked its Constitution’s 50th Anniversary with outraging fireworks.With the cost of nearly KD 4 million, featuring about 77,000 fireworks, they earned the place of “The largest fireworks display” in Guinness World Record. My neck got so cramped watching fireworks for almost an hour! It was insane!
• Kuwait has 15,000* registered leisure boats (as of 2012)
• Kuwait has the third highest density of millionaires in the world.
• Fifty percent (50%) of Kuwaitis are Divorced.
• The minimum legal age of marriage varies according to gender, where the age of marital consent is 15 for girls and 17 for boys. Arranged Marriages is still the norm in this country.
• Kuwait has broken world record in number of traffic deaths, with 17 deaths recorded in every 100,000 cases on the average.The worst record ever that Kuwait has. According to death statistics of 2014, 5,819 death cases were registered out of which 3,186 cases were of Kuwaiti citizens and 2,633 of expatriates. The total population of the country has reached 4.202 million out of which 1.298 million are Kuwaiti citizens.
• Kuwait ranks #80 with 2.48 (2015 )  for Total Fertility rate of Kuwaiti women around the world.
• The largest supplier of goods and service for Kuwait is United States. Therefore, both countries have strong cooperation.

How about you, do you know any interesting facts about the country you’re living in right now?

I hope you get to know more Kuwait through this post. Thank you for reading!