Previous Issues

Department of Botany, University of Kuwait

Abstract.

The State of Kuwait is a flat to gently rolling open desert with very few minor elevations, wadis, depressions, some low dunes and coastal salt marshes. The geology of Kuwait is described. The oldest rocks are sedimentary, belonging to the Upper Triassic. They are overlain by a sequence of sedimentary strata ending in the Pleistocene. This is covered here and there by recent deposits. An account of the soils is given, and the soils are classified with the application of a new system. The climate is arid, with hot dry summers and cool rainy winters. Rainfall shows great variability in time and space. Relative humidity is highest in winter and lowest in summer. Fog and mist occur more frequently in winter. Winds blow usually from the northwest, less frequently from the southeast. Severe winds may cause dust and sandstorms.