Bahrain
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Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway, which was officially opened on 25 November 1986. Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain. The planned Qatar Bahrain Causeway will link Bahrain and Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world.
Bahrain is known for its oil and pearls. The country is the home of many large structures such as the Bahrain World Trade Center and the Bahrain Financial Harbour and other skyscrapers, and proposes to build the 1,022 m (3,353 ft) high supertall Murjan Tower. The Qal’at al-Bahrain (The Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun) has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The Bahrain International Circuit is the race course where the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix takes place.
History
Asia in 600 AD, showing the Persian Empire in Sassanid era before the Arab conquest.
Bahrain is the Arabic term for "two seas", referring to the freshwater springs that
are found within the salty seas surrounding it. Bahrain has been inhabited since ancient times. Its strategic location in the Persian Gulf has brought rule and influence from the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and the Arabs, under whom
the island became Islamic. Bahrain may have been associated with Dilmun which is mentioned by Mesopotamian civilizations.
During its history it was called by different names such as Awal, then Mishmahig, when it was a part of the
Persian Empire. From the 6th to 3rd century BC, Bahrain was included in Persian Empire by Achaemenian dynasty. From the 3rd century BC to the arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD, Bahrain was controlled by two other Persian dynasties of
Parthians and Sassanids. By about 250 BC, the Parthian dynasty brought the Persian Gulf under its control and extended its influence as far as Oman.
Because they needed to control the Persian Gulf trade route, the Parthians established garrisons in the
southern coast of Persian Gulf.In the 3rd century AD, the Sassanids succeeded the Parthians and held the area until the rise of Islam four centuries later. Ardashir, the first ruler of the Sassanian dynasty
marched forward on Oman and Bahrain, and defeated Sanatruq. At this time, Bahrain incorporated the southern Sassanid province covering the Persian Gulf's southern shore plus the archipelago of Bahrain.
The southern province of the Sassanid Empire was subdivided into the three districts of Haggar (now al-Hafuf province, Saudi Arabia), Batan Ardashir (now al-Qatif province, Saudi Arabia),
and Mishmahig (which in Middle-Persian/Pahlavi means "ewe-fish"). Until Bahrain adopted Islam in 629 AD, it was a center of Nestorian Christianity. Early Islamic sources describe
it as being inhabited by members of the Abdul Qays, Tamim, and Bakr tribes, worshiping the idol Awal.
Politics
Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy headed by the King, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; the
head of government is the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalīfa bin Salman al Khalifa, who presides over a cabinet of twenty-five members, where 80% of its members are from the royal family.
Bahrain has a bicameral legislature with a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, elected by universal suffrage and an upper house, the Shura Council, appointed by the king[citation
needed]. Both houses have forty members The first round of voting in the 2006 parliamentary election took place on 25 November 2006, and in the second round Islamists hailed a huge election victory.
The opening up of politics has seen big gains for both Shīa and Sunnī Islamists in elections, which have given them a parliamentary
platform to pursue their policies This has meant parties launching campaigns to impose bans on female mannequins displaying lingerie in shop windows, and the hanging of underwear on washing lines.
Analysts of democratization in the Middle East cite the Islamists' references to respect for human rights in their justification for these
programmes as evidence that these groups can serve as a progressive force in the region Islamist parties have been particularly critical
of the government's readiness to sign international treaties such as the United Nation's International Convention on Civil and Political
Rights At a parliamentary session in June 2006 to discuss ratification of the Convention, Sheikh Adel Mouwda, the former leader of
salafist party, Asalah, explained the party's objections: "The convention has been tailored by our enemies, God kill them all, to serve
their needs and protect their interests rather than ours. This why we have eyes from the American Embassy watching us during our sessions, to ensure things are swinging their way".
Both Sunnī and Shī'a Islamists suffered a setback in March 2006 when 20 municipal councillors, most of whom represented religious
parties, went missing in Bangkok on an unscheduled stopover when returning from a conference in Malaysia. After the missing
councillors eventually arrived in Bahrain they defended their stay at the Radisson Hotel in Bangkok, telling journalists it was a
"fact-finding mission", and explaining: "We benefited a lot from the trip to Thailand because we saw how they managed their transport,
landscaping and roads".Bahraini liberals have responded to the growing power of religious parties by organizing themselves to
campaign through civil society in order to defend basic personal freedoms from being legislated away[citation needed]. In November
2005, al Muntada, a grouping of liberal academics, launched "We Have A Right", a campaign to explain to the public why personal freedoms matter and why they need to be defended
Economy
Sunset at the King Fahd Causeway
In a region experiencing an oil boom, Bahrain has the fastest growing economy in the Arab world, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
found in January 2006. Bahrain also has the freest economy in the Middle East according to the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal, and is tenth freest overall in the world.
In 2008, Bahrain was named the world's fastest growing financial center by the City of London's Global Financial Centres Index.Bahrain's banking and financial services sector,
particularly Islamic banking, have benefited from the regional boom.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 multinational firms. A
large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude oil. Construction proceeds on several major
industrial projects. In 2004, Bahrain signed the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, which will reduce certain barriers to trade between the two nations.
Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term
economic problems. In 2008, the jobless figure was a 4%, but women are over represented at 85% of the total. Bahrain in 2007
became the first Arab country to institute unemployment benefits as part of a series of labour reforms instigated under Minister of Labour, Dr. Majeed Al Alawi.
Geography
Bahrain is a generally flat and arid archipelago, consisting 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 134 m (440 ft) Jabal ad Dukhan. Bahrain has a total area of 665 km2 (257 sq mi), which is
slightly larger than the Isle of Man, though it is smaller than the nearby King Fahd International Airport near Dammam, Saudi Arabia (780 km2 (301 sq mi)).
As an archipelago of thirty-three islands, Bahrain does not share a land boundary with another country but does have a 161 km (100 mi) coastline and claims a further 22 km (12 nmi) of
territorial sea and a 44 km (24 nmi) contiguous zone. Bahrain's largest islands are Bahrain Island, Muharraq Island, Umm an Nasan, and Sitrah. Bahrain has mild winters and very hot,
humid summers. Bahrain's natural resources include large quantities of oil and natural gas as well as fish stocks. Arable land constitutes only 2.82% of the total area.
Desert constitutes 92% of Bahrain, and periodic droughts and dust storms are the main natural hazards for Bahrainis.
Environmental issues facing Bahrain include desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, coastal degradation
(damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil
refineries, distribution stations, and illegal land reclamation at places such as Tubli Bay. The agricultural and domestic sectors'
over-utilization of the Dammam Aquifer, the principal aquifer in Bahrain, has led to its salinization by adjacent brackish and saline water bodies.
Military
The kingdom has a small but well equipped military called the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF).
The BDF is primarily equipped with United States equipment, such as the F16 Fighting Falcon, F5 Freedom Fighter, UH60 Blackhawk, M60A3 tanks, and the ex-USS Jack Williams, an
Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate renamed the RBNS Sabha. The Government of Bahrain has a cooperative agreement with the United States Military and has provided the United States a base
in Juffair since the early 1990s. This is the home of the headquarters for Commander, United States Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT) / United States Fifth Fleet
(COMFIFTHFLT), and about 1500 United States and coalition military personnel.
Education
Students at the University of Bahrain, wearing the traditional garb
At the beginning of the 20th century, Qur'anic schools (Kuttab) were the only form of
education in Bahrain. They were traditional schools aimed at teaching children and youth the reading of the Qur'an. After World War I, Bahrain became open to western influences, and a
demand for modern educational institutions appeared. 1919 marked the beginning of modern public school system in Bahrain when Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia School for boys was opened in
Muharraq. In 1926, the Education Committee opened the second public school for boys in Manama, and in 1928 the first public school for girls was opened in Muharraq.
In 2004 King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa introduced a project that uses Information Communication Technology (ICT) to support
K–12 education in Bahrain. This project is named King Hamad Schools of Future. The objective of this project is to connect and
link all schools within the kingdom with the internet. In addition to British intermediate schools, the island is served by the Bahrain
School (BS). The BS is a United States Department of Defense school that provides a K-12 curriculum including International Baccalaureate offerings. There are also private schools that offer either the IB Diploma Programme or UK A-Levels.
In 2007, St. Christopher's School Bahrain became the first school in Bahrain to offer a choice of IB or A-Levels for students.
Numerous international educational institutions and schools have established links to Bahrain. A few prominent institutions are
DePaul University, Bentley College, Ernst & Young Training Institute, NYIT and Birla Institute of Technology International Centre
(See also: List of universities in Bahrain). Schooling is paid for by the government. Primary and secondary attendance is high, although it is not compulsory.
Bahrain also encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahrain Nationals
returning from abroad with advanced degrees. The University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and
graduate study, and the King Abdulaziz University College of Health Sciences; operating under the direction of the Ministry of
Health, trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. The national action charter, passed in 2001, paved the way for the
formation of private universities. The first few private universities were Ahlia University situated in Manama and University College
of Bahrain, Saar. In 2005, The Royal University for Women (RUW) was established. RUW is the first private, purpose-built,
international University in the Kingdom of Bahrain dedicated solely to educating women. The University of London External has
appointed MCG as the regional representative office in Bahrain for distance learning programs. MCG is one of the oldest private
institutes in the country. Institutes have also been opened which educate Asian students, such as the Pakistan Urdu School, Bahrain, the Indian School, Bahrain.
Tourism
A 123 m (404 ft) high fountain off the coast of Manama. The mechanism is contained in
a barge, anchored to the seabed.
Bahrain is a tourist destination with over eight million tourists a year. Most of the visitors are from the surrounding Arab states but there is an increasing number of tourists from
outside the region due to a growing awareness of the kingdom's heritage and its higher profile with regards to the Bahrain International F1 Circuit. The Lonely Planet describes
Bahrain as "an excellent introduction to the Persian Gulf", because of its authentic Arab heritage and reputation as liberal and modern.
The kingdom combines Arab culture, gulf glitz and the archaeological legacy of five
thousand years of civilization. The island is home to castles including Qalat Al Bahrain which has been listed by UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site. The Bahrain National Museum has artifacts from the country's history dating back to the island's first human inhabitants 9000 years ago.
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