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Bahrain

This article is about the country in West Asia. For other uses, see Bahrain (disambiguation).

Kingdom of Bahrain
مَمْلَكَةُ الْبَحْرَيْن (Arabic)
Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn
Anthem: بَحْرَيْنُنَا
Baḥraynunā
Our Bahrain
Location of Bahrain (in green)
Location of Bahrain (in green)
Capital
and largest city
Manama
26°13′N 50°35′E / 26.217°N 50.583°E / 26.217; 50.583
Official language
and national language		Arabic[1]
Ethnic groups
(2020)[2]
Religion
(2021)[3][4]
Demonym(s)Bahraini
GovernmentUnitary Islamic parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
• King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa
LegislatureNational Assembly
• Upper house
Consultative Council
• Lower house
Council of Representatives
Establishment
1783
• Declared Independence[5]
14 August 1971
• Independence from United Kingdom[6]
15 August 1971
21 September 1971
14 February 2002
Area
• Total
786.8[7] km2 (303.8 sq mi) (173rd)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2021 estimate
1,463,265[8][9] (149th)
• 2020 census
1,501,635[2]
• Density
1,864/km2 (4,827.7/sq mi) (6th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $105.6 billion[10] (98th)
• Per capita
Increase $65,345[10] (23rd)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $47.8 billion[10] (95th)
• Per capita
Decrease $29,573[10] (40th)
HDI (2022)Increase 0.888[11]
very high (34th)
CurrencyBahraini dinar (BHD)
Time zoneUTC+3 (AST)
Drives onright
Calling code+973
ISO 3166 codeBH
Internet TLD.bh
Website
bahrain.bh
  1. Since 17 November 1967[12]
  2. 46% are Bahraini citizens, 4.7% are other Arabs.

Bahrain,[a] officially the Kingdom of Bahrain,[b] is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals.[2] Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi),[13] and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.[14] The capital and largest city is Manama.

According to archeologist Geoffrey Bibby, Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization.[15] It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century.[16] Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, during the lifetime of Muhammad in 628 AD. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas the Great of the Safavid Iran. In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur and it has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim.

In the late 1800s, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom.[17] In 1971, it declared independence. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002, and Article 2 of the newly adopted constitution made Sharia a principal source for legislation. In 2011, the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring.[18] Bahrain's ruling Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa royal family has been criticised for violating the human rights of groups including dissidents, political opposition figures, and its majority Shia Muslim population.[19]

Bahrain developed one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf,[20] the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors;[21] many of the world's largest financial institutions have a presence in the country's capital. It is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Bahrain is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Gulf Cooperation Council.[22] Bahrain is a Dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.[23][24]

  1. ^ "Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain (Issued in 2002) and Its Amendments (Issued in 2012)" (PDF). National Institution for Human Rights. National Institute for Human Rights. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Bahrain 2020 Census". Information and eGovernment Authority. 28 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  3. ^ Bahrain Country Study Archived 18 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine Library of Congress
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference pew was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Bahrain ends special pact". The Straits Times. 15 August 1971. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference CIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Facts & Figures". data.gov.bh. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  8. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  9. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: October 2024". imf.org. International Monetary Fund.
  11. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ Bahrain Government Annual Reports, Volume 8, Archive Editions, 1987, page 92
  13. ^ "Bahrain – the World Factbook". 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Area of Bahrain Expands to 765.3 square kilometres". Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  15. ^ Oman: The Lost Land Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved on 7 November 2016.
  16. ^ EB (1878).
  17. ^ "The history of British involvement in Bahrain's internal security". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Bahrain says ban on protests in response to rising violence". CNN. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  19. ^ "How Bahrain uses sport to whitewash a legacy of torture and human rights abuses | David Conn | Sport". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Bahrain: Reform-Promise and Reality" (PDF). J.E. Peterson. p. 157. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  21. ^ "Bahrain's economy praised for diversity and sustainability". Bahrain Economic Development Board. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  22. ^ "Bahrain". IMUNA | NHSMUN | Model UN. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Shanghai Cooperation Organisation". eng.sectsco.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Bahrain granted the status of SCO dialogue partner". bna.bh/en/. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.


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