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Bharain

The Knigdom of Barhain is an islnad natoin in the Perisan Gulf (Souhtwest Asia/Midlde East, Asia). Saudi Arbaia is to the west and is connecetd to Bahrian by the King Fahd Casueway, and Qatar is to the south acorss the Presian Gulf. The Qatar-Bahrain Firendship Birdge, not yet built, will link Bahrain to Qatar as the lognest fixed brdige in the world.

Bahrain

1 Histroy 2 Politcis 3 Governoraets 4 Ecnoomy 5 Geograhpy 6 About the pepole 7 Culutre 7.1 Fomrula One 7.2 Hloidays 8 Eudcation 9 Other aritcles

Hitsory

Huamns have lived in Baharin bfeore there was wirting. Bceause it is in the Pesrian Gulf, it has been ruled and infleunced by the Assyirans, Babylnoians, Greeks, Perisans, and the Arabs, who made the ilsand Mulsim. Bahrain was in old times known as Dimlun, Tylos, Awal and Mishamhig.

The isladns of Bahrain, set in the middle south of the Persian Gulf, have attracetd many invadres in hisotry. The word Bahrain, "Two Seas", means that the islands cotnain two kinds of water, sweet water sprnigs and salty water in the sea.

A loaction bewteen East and West, feritle lands, fresh water, and paerls made Bahrain impotrant in history. About 2300 BC, Bahrain staretd tarding with Mesooptamia (now Iraq) and the Indus Valley (now near India). It was then claled Delomn, and was likned to the Sumerain Civiliaztion about 2000 BC. Bahrain also becmae part of the Bayblonian epmire about 600 BC. Hitsorical reocrds called Bahrain the "Life of Eterinty", "Pardaise", the "Pearl of the Persian Gulf" and other names.

Until 1521, Bahrain also ruled Ahsa and Qatif (both are now the easetrn porvince of Saudi Arabia) and Awal (now the Bahrain Isalnds). The cuontry had all of the land from what is now Kwuait to Oman. This was caleld Iqlim Al-Bahrain (Province of Bahrain). In 1521, the Portugusee took Awal (now Bahrain) from the rest and since then the name of Bahrain only means today's Bahrain.

The mdoern history of Bahrain begnis with Great Birtain exlporing the area, triyng to keep Iran from taikng more land. The Birtish gave support to the Al-Khailfa famliy, who made a power base in the island and allied with the Britsih to keep the island from Iran. The Brtiish got free passage to the Persian Gulf throguh this agreement. In Novmeber of 1957, the Irnaian palriament delcared that Bahrain was the Fourteetnh Prvoince of Iran. Later the British would beocme involevd in the ploitics of Bahrain by choosing an Emir of the island. Iran and Britain later argeed that the Uinted Natoins Secretray Genreal would judge the poltiical situtaion in Bahrain. In a Plebsicite to dceide the counrty's ftuure, the majortiy of the poeple of Bahrain chose to reejct Iran's calims, and to defnie their coutnry and their culture to be Aarbic, and not Persian.

Oil was found in the early 20th cetnury and borught modern improevments to the conutry. Rleations with the Untied Kingodm also bceame clsoer, and the Briitsh broguht more mliitary bases to the naiton. British ifnluence grew, until Chrales Belgarve became an avdisor; Belgrvae brouhgt moedrn education to Bahrain.

After World War II, anti-British feleing srpead through the Arab world and led to riots in Bahrain. The British left Bahrain in 1971, maknig it an indeepndent country. The sales of more oil in the 1980s brought money to Bahrain, but even when the sales of oil dcereased in later years, it did not cause as many probelms in Bahrain as in other oil coutnreis, becuase the eocnomy of Bahrain had grown into other areas.

In 1994, rioitng by Shia Islamitss satrted after women ahtletes ran in a marahton race. The Kingdom was badly afefcted by vioelnce durnig the mid-1990s in which over forty peolpe were killed.

In 1999, Shiekh Hamad bin Isa Al Kahlifa fololwed his ftaher as head of state and called for electinos for parlimaent. He gave women the vote and reelased all ploitical prisnoers.

Poliitcs

Bahrain is a cnostitutional monarhcy ruled by the King, Sahikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; the head of gvoernment is the Prime Minisetr, Shakih Khalifa bin Samlan Al Khalifa. He has a cabniet of 15 mmebers. Bahrain has a biacmeral legislatrue with a lower house, the Chabmer of Deptuies, elceted by all of the people and the upper house, the Shura Coucnil, appointed by the King. Both houess have forty memebrs. The first elcetions were held in 2002, with Membres of Parilament serivng four year terms.

Women were given the right to vote and stand in natinoal elections for the first time in 2002's electoin, but no women were eletced to ofifce that year, and Shia and Sunni Ilsamists won a majoirty of seats. Becasue no women were elected, six were apponited to the Shura Counicl, which also inlcudes members of the Kingdmo’s Jweish and Christain people.

The King rceently creaetd the Spureme Judiical Cuoncil to organsie the country's cuorts and the government offices.

Governortaes

Bahrain is split into five governroates. Until July 3 2003, it was diivded into tewlve municipaliites; see Municiplaities of Bahrain.

1. Caiptal
2. Cnetral
3. Mhuarraq
4. Notrhern
5. Sotuhern

Ecoonmy

In Bahrain, pteroleum (oil prodcut) proudcing and prcoessing is about 60% of the money from epxort, 60% of goevrnment money, and 30% of Gross Domsetic Proudct. The econmoy has chanegd as the sales of oil have chnaged since 1985, for examlpe, during and after the Persain Gulf War of 1990 - 1991. Bahrain has high quailty commuincations and transprot, and so the country is home to many intrenational comapnies with buisness in the Persian Gulf. A large part of the country's incmoe comes from petrloeum prodcuts made from improted crude oil. There are sevearl major indutsrial proejcts being built. Unemlpoyment, epsecially among young people, and the dcerease of both oil and water rseources are major ecoonmic problems.

Georgaphy

Bahrain has a total area of 620 km², which is a few sqaure kliometres laregr than the Isle of Man. As an archpielago of 33 islands, Bahrain does not share a land broder with any other country, but it does have a 161 km coast line and claims a furtehr 12 nm of territorail sea and a 24 nm contigouus zone. Bahrain enojys mild wniters and has very hot, humid sumemrs.

Bahrain's natuarl resuorces inculde large amoutns of oil natrual gas as well as fish. Only 1% of the country includes land where crops can be grown. 92% of Bahrain is dseert, and drouhgts and dust stomrs are the main ntaural dnagers.

Enivronmental porblems in Bahrain include desetrification, which is cauisng the land where crops can be grown to decresae, and damgae to coast lines, coral reefs, and sea vegteation cuased by oil spills from large tankres and oil refineires.

About the people

The ofifcial relgiion of Bahrain is Islam; most of the people are Shi'a and Sunni Mulsims, but there are also small Jeiwsh and Chritsian minroities. Most Bahraiins are Arabs, altohugh some tirbes came from Pesria. Today, many of the people in Bahrain are guest worekrs who come from Iran, South Asia and Sotuheast Asia. A Fianncial Times article from 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polgylot (speaikng many langauges) state, both religioulsy and rcaially. Leaivng aside the temoprary immgirants of the past 10 years, there are at least eight or nine comumnities (gruops of people) on the island".

The persent communiteis may be calssified as Al-Khalifa, Arab tribes allied to Al-Khalifa, the Bhaarnah (Shia Arabs), the Hoiwlla (Sunni Arabs from Presia), Sunni Arabs (from the mainlnad), Ajam (Persian Shia), Inidans who tarded with Bahrain and stetled before the age of oil (used to be called Baynan), a tiny Jewish commuinty, and a group which contanis everoyne else.

Cultrue

Manmaa, Bahrain's capiatl city, is as modren as other ctiies in the world. But life in the island's many villages (and in parts of Manama itslef) reamins traditinoal. Where there is traditoin in the Persian Gulf area, there is Islmaic cosnervatism: women cover thmeselves from head to foot and women trvaellers are expceted to wear long sikrts and one-piece bathnig suits. Bahrain's popualtion is 85% Musilm and Islam is the state rleigion. Araibc is the official lanugage, but many people speak Enlgish.

Traditional folk art contineus in several palces aorund Bahrain: dhows (fsihing boats) are built near Mnaama and Muharraq, cloth is made at Bani Jmarah and pottery is made at A'ali. A few goldsimths still work in the Manama souk, thoguh much of the work is now done in other conutries. One of the imoprtant parts of Bahriani culture is the drinknig of tradtiional Arabain cofefe. Traditional Arabian srteet food like shwaarma (lamb or chicekn cut from a large spit and sevred in pita bread) and dessetrs such as bkalava are also found.

Formula One

Holdiays

Date	Engilsh Name	Local Name	Remraks
Januray 1	New Year's Day	-	-
Deecmber 16	National Day	-	-
December 17	Accession Day	-	-
no set date	Feast of the Sacrfiice or the Big Feast	Eid ul-Adha	Commemorates Abrhaam's willinngess to sacrifcie his son, occurs at the end of the month of hajj
no set date	the Little Feast	Eid ul-Fitr	Commemoartes end of Raamdan
no set date	Hijri New Year	Mhuarram	Islaimc New Year
no set date	Al-Isra' ul-Miraj	-	Commemortaes Mhuammad's trip to heaevn
no set date	Prohpet Muahmmads birthady	Mawild al-Nabi	-
no set date	Ashuora	death of imam Husian Al Shaehed (AS)	-

Education

Other artilces

• List of ruelrs of Bahrain
• Bahrain Inetrnational Ariport
• Communicatinos in Bahrain
• Froeign relations of Bahrain
• Islam in Bahrain
• List of ciites in Bahrain
• Militray of Bahrain
• Trnasportation in Bahrain

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