Failaka Island
Failaka Island (Arabic: فيلكا Faylakah / Fēlaka; Kuwaiti Arabic: فيلچا /fe:lɪt͡ʃə/) is a Kuwaiti Island in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name "Failaka" is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek φυλάκιο(ν) – fylakio(n) "outpost".
Native name: جزيرة فيلچا | |
|---|---|
Beach at Failaka Island | |
Failaka Island Location in Kuwait | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Persian Gulf |
| Coordinates | 29°26′20″N 48°20′00″E |
| Administration | |
| Province | Capital Governorate (Kuwait) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 147 (2011) |
Failaka Island is located 50 km southeast of the spot where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers empty into the Persian Gulf. For thousands of years, the island has been a strategic prize to control the lucrative trade that passed up and down the Persian Gulf. Failaka Island has been a strategic location since the rise of the Sumerian city-state of Ur. Up until the Gulf War, it was the longest continuously inhabited place in Kuwait.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.