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The Kingdom of Bahrain, or Bahrain, is a borderless country in the Persian Gulf (Southwest Asia/Middle East, Asia). Saudi Arabia is to the west and is connected to Bahrain by a causeway, and Qatar is to the south across the Gulf of Bahrain.
History
Main article: History of Bahrain
Bahrain has been populated by humans since prehistoric times. Its strategic location in the Persian Gulf has brought rule from the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and finally the Arabs, under whom the island became Muslim. Bahrain was in the ancient times known by its Persian name Mishmahig and was a part of the Persian Empire.
The modern history of Bahrain begins with the British meddling in Iranian affairs and the British support for the Al-Khalifa family, who established a power base in the island and built alliances with the British in order to separate the island from Iran. The British gained free access to the Persian Gulf through this agreement. In November of 1957, the Iranian parliament announced Bahrain as the Fourteenth province of Iran. Later the British would directly become involved in the politics of Bahrain by handpicking an emir of the island. Eventually Iran and Britain agreed that the matter of Dominion of Bahrain would be put to international judgment and requested the United Nations General Secretary to take on this responsibility. By a Plebiscite and not a Referendum the British finally succeeded in secession of Bahrain from mainland Iran.
Oil was discovered in the early 20th century and brought rapid modernization and improvements to Bahrain. It also made relations with Britain tighter, and this was evidenced by the British moving more bases to the island nation. British influence would continue to grow, culminating with the appointment of Charles Belgrave as an advisor; Belgrave established modern education systems in Bahrain.
After World War II, increasing anti-British feeling spread throughout the Arab world and led to some riots in Bahrain. The British withdrew from Bahrain in 1971, making it an independent emirate. The oil boom of the 1980s greatly benefitted Bahrain, but its downturn was not as badly felt, as the economy of Bahrain began to diversify.
In the 1990s, increased calls for a representative government pushed the then-emir to form the first cabinet in 1994. While it increased in size as the decade wore on, it was not wholly satisfactory and led to further rioting. The Persian Gulf War also brought a heavy American military presence to Bahrain that remains to this day and is a cause of tension.
Politics Main article: Politics of Bahrain
Bahrain is a hereditary kingdom under the rule of the Al-Khalifa family. The King is the chief executive and head of state. The prime minister is head of government. Both these posts are filled by members of the Al-Khalifa family, the king being Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, his uncle Khalifa bin Salman Ali Khalifa. Both rule through consultation with ministers. The judiciary system is relatively independent of the government and is based on diverse legal sources, including Shia and Sunni Islamic law.
The new king has worked to improve civil rights and increase democratic reforms. Municipal elections were held in 2002, and legislative elections will be held in 2004. King Hamad has also stated his intention to have a house of the legislative portion of the government that is composed of delegates elected by both males and females.
Bahrain is split into five governorates. Until July 3, 2003, it was divided into twelve municipalities; see Municipalities of Bahrain.
- Capital
- Central
- Muharraq
- Northern
- Southern
For further information, see: Decree-Law establishing governorates (http://www.capital.gov.bh/pages/pdf/govlawe.pdf) from the Bahrain official website
Economy Main article: Economy of Bahrain
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 Persian Gulf crisis of 1990-91. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Persian Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems.
Geography Bahrain is a generally flat and arid archipelago, comprising of a low desert plain rising gently to a low central escarpment, in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia. The highest point is the 122m Jabal ad Dukhan.
Considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity" in the Middle East, Bahrain has a total area of 620 kmē, which is slightly larger than the Isle of Man. As an archipelago, Bahrain does not share a land boundary with another country but does have a 161 km coastline and claims a further 12 nm of territorial sea and a 24 nm contiguous zone. Bahrain enjoys mild winters and endures very hot, humid summers.
Bahrain's natural resources include large quantities of oil and associated and nonassociated natural gas as well as fish stocks, which is perhaps fortunate as arable land constitutes only 1% of the country. Desert constitutes 92% of Bahrain and periodic droughts and dust storms are the main natural hazards for Bahraini's.
Environmental issues facing Bahrain include desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land and coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations.
Demographics Main article: Demographics of Bahrain
The official religion of Bahrain is Islam. Shiite Muslims are the majority, composing about 75% of the population, but the Sunni Muslims dominate the government, military and security forces. Most of the Shiites are from the “Bahaareyneh-gaan”; the decedents of Persian origin population of the ancient Bahrain. There are small indigenous Jewish minorities, and some Christian ones, largely composed of foreign workers. Two thirds of Bahrain's population consists of Arabs while the rest of immigrants and guest workers that are largely from Iran, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Culture Main article: Culture of Bahrain
Holidays Bahrain holds the Bahrain Grand Prix. In 2004, it was held on April 4. | Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks | | | | | | January 1 | New Year's Day | - | رأس السنة الميلادية | | December 16 | National Day | - | العيد الوطني | | December 17 | Accesion Day | - | - | | date varies | Feast of the Sacrifice or the Big Feast | Eid ul-Adha | Commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, occurs at the end of the month of hajj | | date varies | the Little Feast | Eid ul-Fitr | Commemorates end of Ramadan | | date varies | Hijri New Year | Muharram | Islamic New Year | | date varies | Al-Isra' ul-Miraj | - | Commemorates Muhammad's trip to heaven | | date varies | Prophet Muhammads birthday | Mawlid al-Nabi | - | | date varies | Ashoura | death of imam Husain Al Shaheed (AS) | - |
See also Big Brother television program.
Education Main article: Education in Bahrain
Miscellaneous topics
External links - official web site (http://www.bahrain.gov.bh/english/index.asp)
- BahrainWiki (http://wiki.bahraini.tv/)
- Bahrain News Agency (http://www.bna.bh/) in English (http://english.bna.bh/)
- CIA World Factbook - Bahrain (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ba.html)
- Library of Congress Country Study - Bahrain (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/bhtoc.html)
- LookSmart - Bahrain (http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317916/us559898/us560105/us560109/) directory category
- Open Directory Project - Bahrain (http://dmoz.org/Regional/Middle_East/Bahrain/) directory category
- Yahoo! - Bahrain (http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Bahrain/) directory category
- Business news for Bahrain and the region (http://www.ameinfo.com/)
- Kyle's pictures from Bahrain (http://keheartt.tripod.com/photos/index.htm)
- Mishmahig Islands (Bahrain), How it was separated from Iran? (http://www.iranchamber.com/geography/articles/mishmahig_islands_bahrain.php)
- Personal photos from Bahrain (http://www.kevin-mccoy.com/gallery/spbahrain)
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