Country Profiles: Bahrain

Official name: Kingdom of Bahrain

Official language: Arabic

Land area: 277 sq mi/718 sq kim

Population: 794,000

Dominant religion: Islam

Capital: Manama

Current leader: Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa

Bahrain is a small island country in the Persian Gulf in southwest Asia. It consists of more than 30 desert islands. The main island is also called Bahrain. It is connected to Saudi Arabia by causeway.

 Arabs make up about 80 percent of the population. There is also a large number of Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis and Filipinos living and working and sending money back to their own countries. Most of the population is city dwellers and many live in houses or apartments. Bahrain has one of the highest standards of living in the Persian Gulf area and the country has one of the best electric supply systems in the Middle East. It also has one of the world’s highest literacy rates and education and medical care is free.

 Unlike most Arab countries on the nearby Arabian Peninsula, women in Bahrain can vote and run for elective office.

 In the early 1800’s the United Kingdom sent military assistance to Bahrain to help fight off invading Saudi armies. It became a British protectorate in 1861 and gave the British control of its foreign affairs. The British withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971 and Bahrain became independent. In the 1980’s it began allowing the United States Navy to operate out of Manama to protect oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War. During the 1991 Gulf War the U.S. used Bahrain to launch attacks against Iraq as part of an effort liberate Kuwait from Iraq. Soon after the war Bahrain became the headquarters for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

 In recent months there has been growing social unrest with Bahrainis calling for an end to autocracy and more participation in the government. Many demonstrations have turned violent and many protesters have been jailed. As a result of the growing unrest many governments around the world having been warning their citizens against traveling to Bahrain.