| | Bahrain
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| Geography |
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The Kingdom of Bahrain a Middle East country, located in the Persian Gulf is an archipelago. Qatar lies in the south across the gulf of Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia lies in the west connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway.
Bahrain is a flat and arid archipelago, with mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment. The lowest point is the Persian Gulf and the highest is the Jabal ad Dukhan at 122 m.
The total area is 688 Km². It is an archipelago of thirty-three islands, and does not share its land boundary with any other country; it has a coastline stretching upto 161Km. And furthermore claims twelve nautical miles i.e. 22 km of territorial sea and a twenty-four nautical mile i.e. 44 km of contiguous zone.
The natural resources found here are oil, associated and non-associated natural gas, fish and pearls. An astounding 92% of Bahrain constitutes of desert, dust storms and periodic drought are the main natural hazards. Only 2.83% is arable land and 5.63% grows permanent crops.
Coastal degradation i.e. damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation, resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations and lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs are the major and current environmental issues. |
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| Climate |
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| The climate of Bahrain is generally Arid, mild with pleasant winters and very hot and humid summers. |
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| History |
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Bahrain has been inhabited since the ancient times and has even been proposed as the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden. The islands of Bahrain, located in the middle south of the Persian Gulf, have been an attention seeker of invaders throughout history. Bahrain is historically a center of urban settlement because of its strategic position between East and West, fertile lands, fresh water, and pearl diving.
Pearl diving was the main economy until cultured pearls were invented in early twentieth century and more when oil was discovered in 1930s. About 2300 BC, Bahrain had become a centre of one of the ancient empires trading between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Roundabout 600 BC Bahrain became part of the Babylonian empire. Historical records refer to Bahrain with names such as the "Life of Eternity", "Paradise", Eden and was also popularly known as the "Pearl of the Persian Gulf".
In 1932, oil was discovered in and it brought rapid modernization to Bahrain. It was the first place to find oil in the whole region. Discovery of oil brought the relations with the United Kingdom closer; this led to British moving more bases within Bahrain. As the country developed the British influence continued to grow, culminating with the appointment of Charles Belgrave as an advisor, he further established modern education systems in Bahrain. Later, British withdrew from Bahrain on December 16, 1971, making Bahrain an independent emirate. |
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| People |
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| Bahrain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The population of Bahrain is 708,573. The ethnic groups can be classified as Bahraini (the natives) with 62.4% of the population, non-Bahraini the non-nationals with 37.6%. The major religion practiced is Islam, both Shi'a and Sunni constitutes 81.2% of the entire population, only 9% follow Christianity and the rest 9.8% follow other religion. There are various communities in Bahrain that is Tribals, Baharana, Howala, Ajam, Najdis, Banyan, Afro-Arabs, and Bahraini Jews. Arabic and English are official languages and other languages Farsi and Urdu. |
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| Government |
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The government follows the framework of constitutional monarchy, headed by the King Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the chief of the state. The Prime Minister is the head of the Government and presides over a cabinet of twenty-three members.
Bahrain is administratively divided into 5 governorates Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat. These governorates are administered by the appointed governor. There are no elections the monarchy is hereditary and the Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch. The legal system is based on Islamic law and English common law.
Capital: Manama
National Name: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
Monetary unit: Bahrain dinar
Independence Day: 15 August 1971
Prime Minister: Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa |
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| Economy |
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In the Arab world, Bahrain has the fastest growing economy, it a hub of numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. The chief economic growth is driven by the Petroleum production and refining account which accounts upto 60% of the export receipts, 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP. Aluminum is the second major export revenue generator after oil. Financial and construction sectors are other chief segment drivers of the economy.
Currently the prime focus is on Islamic banking and is competing on an international scale with Malaysia as a worldwide banking center. To reduce the dependence of economy on oil, Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization. Upto 79% of the labor force is diverted into the industrial sector 20% in the services and only 1% of the labour population into the agricultural sector.
The major agricultural products are fruit, vegetables, dairy products, shrimp, fish and poultry. The chief industrial products are petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, Islamic and offshore banking, fertilizers, insurance, ship repairing and tourism. |
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