Bahrain

Kingdom of Bahrain مملكة البحرين Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  بحريننا Bahrainona Our Bahrain
Capital and largest city	Manama
Official languages	Arabic
Religion	Islam ( Sunni)
Demonym(s)	Bahraini
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• King	Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah
• Prime Minister	Khalifah ibn Sulman Al Khalifah
Independence  from United Kingdom
• Date	16 December 1971
Area
• Total	665 km2 (257 sq mi) (189th)
• Water (%)	0
Population
• 2007 estimate	1,046,814 1 (154th)
• Density	1,454/km2 (3,765.8/sq mi) (7th)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$19.75 billion (118th)
• Per capita	$23,604 (32nd)
HDI (2007)	0.866  (41st)
Currency	Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Time zone	UTC+3
Calling code	973
ISO 3166 code	BH
Internet TLD	.bh
Includes 517,368 non-nationals (September 2007 estimate).

The Kingdom of Bahrain (in Arabic: مملكة البحرين , Template:ArTranslit, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an island country in the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway, which officially opened on 25 November 1986. Qatar is to the south across the Gulf of Bahrain. The planned Qatar–Bahrain Friendship Bridge will link Bahrain to Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world.

File:Http://tvqueenbee.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/degrassi6darcy1024x768tk2.jpg== Economy ==

Main article: Economy of Bahrain

In a region experiencing an oil boom, Bahrain has the fastest growing economy in the Arab world, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia found in January 2006. Bahrain also has the freest economy in the Middle East according to the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal, and is twenty-fifth freest overall in the world. In 2008, Bahrain was named the world’s fastest growing financial center by the City of London’s Global Financial Centres Index. Bahrain's banking and financial services sector, particularly Islamic banking, have benefited from the regional boom. In Bahrain, petroleum production and processing account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil since 1985, for example, during and following the Gulf crisis of 1990-91. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to multinational firms. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude oil. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. In 2004, Bahrain signed the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, which will reduce certain barriers to trade between the two nations. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. In 2008, the jobless figure was a 3.8%, but women are over represented at 85% of the total. Bahrain in 2007 became the first Arab country to institute unemployment benefits as part of a series of labour reforms instigated under Minister of Labour, Dr. Majeed Al Alawi.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Bahrain

Bahrain is an Island located in west to the mainland of Saudi Arabia. Jabal ad Dukhan is the highest point in Bahrain with hills 134 m (440 ft) above sea level in the center of the Island. Zagros hills in Iraq cause the low level winds to be directed to the Island and creates a pressure pattern. The dust bowls from Iraq and Saudi Arabia makes fine dust particles easily transported by north westerly winds which cause visibility reductions in the months of June and July. The Summer is very hot, since the Gulf waters provides low level moisture supply. Seas around Bahrain is very shallow and heat up quickly in the Summer, and produces high Humidity specially in the summer nights. In those periods, sweaty hookers,summer temperatures may reach about 48 °C (118 °F)in the day and 35 °C (95 °F) at night. Rainfall in Bahrain is minimum and irregular, most rain falls occur in the winter seasons, recorded maximum of 70.8 mm (7.1 cm).

• 
  Average temperature in Bahrain.
• 
  Average rainfall of Bahrain in mm.
• 
  Average hours of sunshine in Bahrain.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Bahrain

See also: Ethnic, Cultural and Religious Groups of Bahrain

The official religion of Bahrain is Islam, which the majority of the population practices. However, due to an influx of immigrants and guest workers from non-Muslim countries, such as India, Philippines and Sri Lanka, the overall percentage of Muslims in the country has declined in recent years. According to the 2001 census, 80% of Bahrain's population was Muslim, 10% were Christian, and 10% practiced other religions. There are no official figures for the proportion of Shia and Sunni among the Muslims of Bahrain. Unofficial sources, such as the Library of Congress Country Studies, the BBC and The New York Times, estimate it to be approximately 45% Sunni and 55% Shia. The last official census to include sectarian identification (in 1941) reported 53% as Shia. Bahrain has transformed into a cosmopolitan society with mixed communities; two thirds of Bahrain's population consists of Arabs. A Large contingent of people of Iranian descent as well as immigrants and guest workers from South Asia and Southeast Asia are present. A Financial Times published on 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polyglot state, both religiously and racially. Leaving aside the temporary immigrants of the past ten years, there are at least eight or nine communities on the island". The present communities may be classified as:

Community	Description
Afro-Arabs	Descendants of black African slaves from East Africa.
Ajam	Ethnic Persians from Shia and Sunni faith.
Baharna	Shia Arabs divided between those indigenous to the islands.
Bahraini Jews	A small Jewish community; and a miscellaneous grouping.
Banyan	Indians who traded with Bahrain and settled before the age of oil (formerly known as the Hunood or Banyan, Template:ArB). (See also Bania).
Tribals	Sunni Arab bedouin tribes allied to the Al-Khalifa including the Utoob tribes, Dawasir, Al Nuaim, Al Mannai etc.
Howala	Descendants of Sunni Arabs who migrated to Persia and returned later on, although some of them are originally Persians.
Najdis (also called Hadhar)	Non-tribal urban Sunni Arabs from Najd in central Arabia. These are families whose ancestors were pearl divers, traders, etc. An example is the Al Gosaibi family.

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Bahrain and Music of Bahrain

Bahrain is sometimes described as the "Middle East lite" because it combines modern infrastructure with a Gulf identity and, unlike other countries in the region, its prosperity is not solely a reflection of the size of its oil wealth, but is also related to the creation of an indigenous middle class. This unique socioeconomic development in the Persian Gulf has meant that Bahrain is generally more liberal than its neighbours. While Islam is the main religion, Bahrainis have been known for their tolerance, and churches, Hindu temples, Sikh Gurdwara and a Jewish synagogue can be found alongside mosques. The country is home to several communities that have faced persecution elsewhere. It is too early to say whether political liberalisation under King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has augmented or undermined Bahrain's traditional pluralism. The new political space for Shia and Sunni Islamists has meant that they are now more able to pursue programmes that often seek to directly confront this pluralism, yet political reforms have encouraged an opposite trend for society to become more self critical with more willingness to examine previous social taboos. It is now common to find public seminars on once unheard of subjects such as marital problems and sex and child abuse. Another facet of the new openness is Bahrain's status as the most prolific book publisher in the Arab world, with 132 books published in 2005 for a population of 700,000. In comparison, the average for the entire Arab world is seven books published per one million people in 2005, according to the United Nations Development Programme. Ali Bahar is the most famous singer in Bahrain. He performs his music with his Band Al-Ekhwa (The Brothers). On 20 October 2005, it was reported that Michael Jackson intended to leave the United States permanently in order to seek a new life in Bahrain. Jackson has reportedly told friends that he feels "increasingly Bahraini", after buying a former PM's mansion in Sanad, and is now seeking another property by the seashore. Jackson reportedly moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2006. Other celebrities associated with the Kingdom include singer Shakira, and Grand Prix driver Jenson Button, who owns property there. In Manama lies the new district of Juffair, predominantly built on reclaimed land. This is the location of the U.S. Naval Support Activity which hosts the headquarters for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet. The concentration of restaurants, bars and nightlife make this area a magnet for U.S. service members and Saudi weekend visitors.

Language and religion

See also: Freedom of religion in Bahrain

Arabic is the official language of Bahrain, though English is widely used. Another language spoken by some of the local inhabitants of Bahrain is a dialect of Persian which has been heavily influenced by Arabic. Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil and Tagalog are occasionally spoken amongst the domestic workers, housemaids and construction workers. Bahrain's primary Religion is Islam, although many other religions are widely found.

Formula One and other motorsports events

Bahrain has a Formula One race-track, hosting the first Gulf Air Grand Prix on 4 April 2004, the first for an Arab country. The race was won by Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari. This was followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2005. Bahrain has successfully hosted the opening Grand Prix of the 2006 season on 12 March. Both the above races were won by Fernando Alonso of Renault. The 2007 event took place on April 13th, 14th and 15th resulting in victory of Ferrari's Felipe Massa. On Sunday, April 6th, 2008, Ferrari's Felipe Massa once again took the Bahrain Grand Prix victory, with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica being the first Polish driver on pole position, and BMW's first pole as well. In 2006, Bahrain also hosted its inaugural Australian V8 Supercar event dubbed the "Desert 400". The V8s will return every November to the Sakhir circuit. The inaugural round was won by Ford Performance Racing's Jason Bright. The Bahrain International Circuit also features a full length drag strip, and the Bahrain Drag Racing Club has organised invitational events featuring some of Europe's top drag racing teams to try and raise the profile of the sport in the Middle East. There has been much speculation about Bahrain hosting a round of the FIA European Drag Racing Championship, but as yet this has not come to fruition due to problems with the track gaining the necessary licence.

Holidays

On 1 September 2006, Bahrain changed its weekend from being Thursdays and Fridays to Fridays and Saturdays, in order to have a day of the weekend shared with the rest of the world. Other non-regular holidays are listed below:

Date	English name	Local (arabic) name	Description
1 January	New Year's Day	رأس السنة الميلادية	The Gregorian New Year's Day, celebrated by most parts of the world.
1 May	Labour Day	يوم العمال
16 December	National Day	اليوم الوطني	National Day, which is followed by the Independence Day on 15 December.
17 December	Accession Day	يوم الجلوس	Accession Day.
1st Muharram	Islamic New Year	محرم	Islamic New Year (also known as: Hijri New Year).
10th Muharram	Day of Ashura	عاشوراء	Commemorates the death of Husayn ibn Ali.
12th Rabiul Awwal	Prophet Muhammad's birthday	مولد النبي	Commemorates Prophet Muhammad's birthday, celebrated in most parts of the world.
27th Rajab	Isra and Mi'raj	الإسراء والمعراج‎	Non-Salafi Sunni celebrate Isra and Mi'raj, the day Muhammad have ascended to the heavens.
Last days of Ramadan	Night of Decree	لیلة القدر
1st Shawwal	Little Feast	عيد الفطر	Commemorates end of Ramadan. Celebrated on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
10th Zulhijjah	Feast of the Sacrifice	عيد الأضحى	Commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. Also known as the Big Feast (celebrated from the 10th to 13th).

Military

Main article: Military of Bahrain

See also: Bahrain Royal Medical Services, Royal Bahraini Army, Royal Bahraini Air Force, and Royal Bahrain Naval Force

The kingdom has a small but well equipped military called the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF). The BDF is primarily equipped with U.S. equipment, such as F16 Fighting Falcon, F5 Freedom Fighter, UH60 Blackhawk, M60A3 tanks, and the ex-USS Jack Williams (FFG-24), an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate renamed the RBNS Sabha. The Government of Bahrain has a cooperative agreement with the United States Military and has provided the United States a base in Juffair since the early 1990s. This is the home of the headquarters for Commander, United States Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT) / United States Fifth Fleet (COMFIFTHFLT), and about 1500 U.S. and coalition military personnel.

Education

Main article: Education in Bahrain

See also: Boy Scouts of Bahrain

At the beginning of the 20th century, Quranic schools (Kuttab) were the only form of education in Bahrain. They were traditional schools aimed at teaching children and youth the reading of the Qur'an. After the First World War, Bahrain became open to western influences, and a demand for modern educational institutions appeared. 1919 marked the beginning of modern public school system in Bahrain when Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia School for boys was opened in Muharraq. In 1926, the Education Committee opened the second public school for boys in Manama, and in 1928 the first public school for girls was opened in Muharraq. In 2004 King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa introduced a project that uses Information Communication Technology (ICT) to support K–12 education in Bahrain. This project is named King Hamad Schools of Future. The objective of this project is to connect and link all schools within the kingdom with the internet. In addition to British intermediate schools, the island is served by the Bahrain School (BS). The BS is a United States Department of Defense school that provides a K-12 curriculum including International Baccalaureate offerings. There are also private schools that offer either the IB Diploma Programme or UK A-Levels. In 2007, St. Christopher's School Bahrain became the first school in Bahrain to offer a choice of IB or A-Levels for students. Numerous international educational institutions and schools have established links to Bahrain. A few prominent institutions are DePaul University, Bentley College, NYIT and Birla Institute of Technology International Centre (See also: List of universities in Bahrain). Schooling is paid for by the government. Primary and secondary attendance is high, although it is not compulsory. Bahrain also encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahrain Nationals returning from abroad with advanced degrees. The University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences; operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health, trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. The national action charter, passed in 2001, paved the way for the formation of private universities. The first private university was Ahlia University, situated in Manama. The University of London External has appointed MCG as the regional representative office in Bahrain for distance learning programs. MCG is one of the oldest private institutes in the country. Institutes have also been opened which educate Asian students, such as the Pakistan Urdu School, the Indian School, Bahrain, The Asian School, Bahrain and the New Indian School, Bahrain.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Bahrain

Bahrain is a popular tourist destination with over eight million tourists a year. Most of the visitors are from the surrounding Arab states but there is an increasing number of tourists from outside the region due to a growing awareness of the kingdom’s heritage and its higher profile with regards to the Bahrain International F1 Ciruit. The Lonely Planet describes Bahrain as "an excellent introduction to the Persian Gulf", because of its authentic Arab heritage and reputation as relatively liberal and modern. The kingdom combines Arab culture, Gulf glitz and the archaeological legacy of five thousand years of civilization. The island is home to castles including Qalat Al Bahrain which has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Bahrain National Museum has artifacts from the country's history dating back to the island's first human inhabitation 9000 years ago.

Bahrain photo gallery

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  Bahrain as seen from space.
• Scenic view of the Bahrain WTC at night.
  Scenic view of the Bahrain WTC at night.
• The Dual Towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbor.
  The Dual Towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbor.
• The Al Fateh Grand Mosque.
  The Al Fateh Grand Mosque.
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  A 123 m (404 ft) high fountain off the coast of Manama. The mechanism is contained in a barge, anchored to the seabed.
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  A boatyard in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
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  The Bahrain Royal Flight (Boeing 747SP).
• Sunset at the King Fahd Causeway.
  Sunset at the King Fahd Causeway.

See also

• Bahrain World Trade Center
• List of tallest buildings and structures in Bahrain
• Manama

External links

• Kingdom of Bahrain (eGovernment Portal)
• Bahrain Tourism
• BBC Country profile: Bahrain
• "Bahrain". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
• Lonely Planet Destination Guide
• Bahrain Guide
• A Guide to Bahrain for Visitors and Expatriates
• Bahrain Brief
• Bahrain Expatriate Community
• Bahrain Wiki