The State of Kuwait (/kuːˈweɪt/; Arabic: دولة الكويت‎, Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab nation situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic أقوات "akwat", the plural of قوة "kout", meaning fortress built near water. The Emirate covers an area of 17,820 square kilometers (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 3.6 million.