Land degradation processes prevail in about 50.6 % of the terrestrial ecosystem of Kuwait. This ecosystem which covers about 15,000 km 2 (about 85 % of Kuwait) is dotted by a high number of land degradation hotspots (LDH). A hot spot is a severely degraded area, where land degradation indicators are observable. The main objectives of this study are to detect land degradation hotspots and to quantify the impact of land uses on the natural vegetation and soil types. Detection of land degradation hot spots is a significant prerequisite for Land degradation control. The land degradation hotspots were delineated and characterized using Geographic Information System (ArcGIS S/W 10.5) and satellite image (Landsat 8 of September 2017). A ground truth activity followed the Landsat analyses. The approach of detection and mapping land degradation hotspots is simple and applicable in Kuwait and the surrounding countries. The results of the study showed 58 hotspots with a total area of about 7590.3 Km 2 (50.6 % of the terrestrial environment). The study reveals a significant variation in the areas, land use and indicators of land degradation of the hotspots. The areas range from about 2000 km2 to 1.2 km 2 . In all of the hot spots, the soils, vegetation cover and micro land features are highly degraded due to destructive land use types including overgrazing, offroad vehicles, camping and recreation, and soil mining. The total length of off-road vehicles is around 14,774.67 Km ( 0.98 Km/ Km 2 ) and the percentage of degraded vegetation and disturbed soil was 48.7% and 47% respectively.

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