Saudi–Kuwaiti Neutral Zone, Administrative territory between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-Kuwaiti Neutral Zone is a desert region positioned between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia that both nations manage jointly. The territory consists of arid desert landscape where oil extraction facilities operate under shared management agreements between the two countries.
The territory emerged through the Uqair Convention in December 1922, which established it as a jointly managed region between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. A partition agreement in 1965 divided the zone while maintaining shared rights over its resources.
The territory allowed Bedouin communities from both nations to move freely across the desert without strict border controls. For these nomadic groups, this arrangement represented an unusual freedom to maintain their traditional way of life.
The zone is an unpopulated desert region primarily accessed for oil operations and not open to tourism. Entry requires special authorization from the authorities of both countries and is restricted to official personnel.
The 1965 partition created an unusual international arrangement where both countries maintained sovereignty over divided areas. This shared control allowed each nation to extract oil and govern portions of the territory simultaneously as separate administrative entities.
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