Kuwait City (Arabic: مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Arabian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Palace, government offices, and the headquarters of most Kuwaiti corporations and banks. As of 2018,[update] the metropolitan area had roughly three million inhabitants (more than 70% of the country's population).[1] The city itself has no administrative status. All six governorates of the country comprise parts of the urban agglomeration, which is subdivided into numerous areas. In a narrower sense, Kuwait City can also refer only to the town's historic core, which nowadays is part of the Capital Governorate and seamlessly merges with the adjacent urban areas.