The state of Bahrain was founded in the Persian Gulf, in the southwestern part of Asia. The country consists of 33 islands, of which only 5 are inhabited. These include Bahrain with an area of 578 square meters. km, Sitra - 9.5, Muharraq - 14, Khavra - 41, Umm Naasan - 19 square kilometers. All of them are located in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. The total area of the state of Bahrain, whose capital is the city of Manama, is approximately 695 square kilometers. According to 2012 data, the number of inhabitants of the country is more than 1 million 200 thousand. The population density is about 2,000 people per square kilometer. The highest point in Bahrain is Jebel Dukan - a mountain with a height of 134 meters above sea level. The official language of the country is Arabic, the religion is Islam. The Bahraini currency is the dinar. The main holiday of the country is National Day, celebrated annually since 1971 on December 16th. Bahrain's national anthem is called "Long Live the Emir!"
Flag of Bahrain: symbolism and meaning
The flag of the state of Bahrain consists of a clothred color, on which there is a vertical white stripe at the edge on the left side. At the junction of two colors there are five triangles forming a zigzag line. They are symbols of the pillars of Islam. Presumably the red color is the personification of the Kharijite sect. The modern version of the flag was approved in 2002, on February 14. This happened after the proclamation of its emir as the ruler of the country of Bahrain. The state gained independence after the withdrawal of British troops from it in 1971. The flag of Bahrain has been the basis for the creation of many laws. According to one of them, this symbol of the state is forbidden to be used in any way (for example, placed on transport), except for official use by the government. The flag cannot be used for commercial purposes either.
Main city of Bahrain
Few people know about the metropolis called Manama. Which country's capital is this city? It is located on an island in the Arabian Sea, which is part of the Persian Gulf. This is the capital of Bahrain. The Al-Fateh Mosque, called one of the largest in the world, was built in the city. It accommodates about 7,000 people. The dome of the mosque weighs 60 tons and is made of cast fiberglass.
The city of Manama is spread out on dry and desert lands. Bahrain has a climate that combines signs of the subtropics. The air temperature in the capital of the state ranges from +17 °С in January to +38 °С in July. On average, about 90 millimeters of precipitation falls in Manama during the year. The rainy season in the city lasts from December to February inclusive. During the rest of the year, Manama has a dry period,dust storms happen. Occasionally, precipitation is observed in March, April, November in the State of Bahrain. The capital is one of its five provinces.
Religion of the inhabitants of the capital
Most of Manama's population (over 80%) is Muslim. Manama is the capital of a state in which about half of the Muslims are Shiite in faith, the rest are Sunni. Also among the population of the city there are Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and adherents of Zoroastrianism. The Sunni minority includes members of the royal family.
Nature of Bahrain
The island of Bahrain, the photo of which is attached to the article, is the largest in the entire state. It has a length of 15 kilometers from east to west and 50 from south to north. In the center of the island there is a low, limestone plateau. In some of its places there are separate so-called mountains, having a height of 100 to 130 meters above sea level. The highest of them is Jebel Dukan. The coast of the island consists of a strip of sandy beaches. They are occasionally interrupted by places where bedrocks come to the surface. Along the coastline north of Bahrain are coral reefs, the islands of which are flat and rise only a few meters above sea level.
Presence of fresh water on the island
On large separate areas of land there are outlets of fresh underground water on the surface. It flows down the sloping rocks in the direction of the Persian Gulf. In the area along the coastline, alsosprings of fresh water. They are sent to the pipeline to be used on the farm.
Bahrain climate
The Arab state of Bahrain has an arid tropical climate with relatively cool winters and humid summers. In January, the average temperature fluctuates around +16°С, in July-August +37°С. The islands of Bahrain suffer from drought and dust storms from time to time. There are no rivers on them, desert landscapes prevail. The average rainfall in the state is 90 mm. Every year the area of deserts increases. This happens due to the degradation of those lands that are cultivated. Drought-resistant plants such as camel thorn, saxaul, astragalus, s altwort, wormwood, tamariks (comb) and others grow in the desert. Some areas are famous for artificially created plantings of Arabian acacia. In those places where waters come to the surface of the soil, there are oases with date palms.
Fauna of the country of Bahrain
Bahrain is a country whose fauna is rather poor. It is dominated by reptiles, rodents and birds. In order to restore the populations of the Arabian gazelle, mammals of the bovid family (oryx and tar), the El Arein reserve was created in 1976. As for fish, in the coastal waters of the islands of the country of Bahrain there are about 400 species, including commercial ones. The most common sea turtles. An abundance of shrimp, crabs, lobsters, shellfish (these include pearl mussels) can be found in reefs formed from corals that amazediversity - there are approximately 2000 species.
Population of the State of Bahrain
In 2012, the country of Bahrain had over 1,248,000 inhabitants. Of these, more than 235 thousand are not citizens of the state. These are immigrant workers and their families who arrived in Bahrain mostly from Iran. The state is home to many natives of South Asia and Europe. The official language in Bahrain is Arabic. In addition to him, the population of the country also communicates in English, Urdu and Farsi. Approximately 89% of Bahrainis live in cities.
Bahrain: the state structure of the country of the Persian Gulf
The country's political system is a hereditary emirate, or constitutional monarchy. The Al Khalifa dynasty has been in power since 1783. The current head of state and government is Sheikh Hamad bin Isa. He took the throne after the death of his father, who ruled Bahrain for 38 years, in 1999. The current constitution of the state was adopted in 2002, on February 14. In the politics of Bahrain, parties are banned, but societies are legalized in 2005. The Popular Front operates illegally on the territory of the country. He advocates for democracy and political freedom in Bahrain. And also against foreign domination on the territory of the state. In addition, there is an illegal National Liberation Front in the country, among which are predominantly communists.
The main economic direction of the state
The Kingdom of Bahrain is a member of the UN, the Arab Leaguestates. The country is also a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Among other things, Bahrain is a member of the Organization of Arab Oil Exporting Countries. For a long time, many achievements have been accumulated in this country of the Persian Gulf. Their list is headed by trading activities. Peasants grew fruit and fodder crops, vegetables on the territory of oases, bred livestock: cows, goats, sheep, chickens. Also, the population of the kingdom of Bahrain mined pearls and built single-masted ships. All of the listed types of economic activities were abandoned after the discovery of oil on the territory of the state in 1932 and the start of exploitation of its deposits.
Oil industry of the State of Bahrain
The largest amount of oil was produced in the country in 1970-1972. Its reserves were significantly depleted by the beginning of the 90s of the 20th century. A new complex for oil refining was released in the mid-90s. On the territory of the Middle East, it ranks second among similar ones in terms of productivity. The complex processes imported oil, which is delivered from Saudi Arabia through a pipeline located under water. The extraction and cracking of this oily, naturally occurring combustible liquid provides Bahrain with approximately 60% of foreign exchange earnings from foreign trade, most of the budget and about 30% of the gross domestic product.
Bahrain: Other Industries
Bahrain's oil fields are depleted more and more every decade. This is becoming a serious threat to the country's economy. Also, the problem of the state of Bahrain is the depletion of fresh water resources and high unemployment (about 15% of the population). A large share of GDP is made up by the service sector (about 47%), industry (a little over 52%), and less than 1% is accounted for by agriculture. Bahrain has approximately 660,000 people in the labor force. They include foreigners.
In addition to oil, the state has huge reserves of natural gas. It is used as a raw material in the petrochemical industry for the production of propane and butane. Bahrain on the world map, reflecting mineral deposits, is listed as the largest supplier of aluminum among the countries of the Middle East. Fossil fuels make it possible to generate electricity. Its quantity more than covers what is consumed by the population.
Agriculture
No more than 4% of the country of Bahrain is suitable for agriculture. The population grows citrus fruits, dates, papaya, grapes, pistachios, walnuts, cereals and vegetables in the oases. Also in Bahrain, cows, sheep, donkeys are bred. Crop products provide the country's inhabitants with only 20%, dairy products - by about 50%. Saves the situation catching shrimp and fish, pearl mining.
Infrastructure
The total length of roads in Bahrain, intended for the movement of cars, is 3851 kilometers. At the same time, 3121 of them are hard-surfaced. The islands of Umm Naasan and Muharraq are connected to Bahrain by means of dams. They have highways. In 1996, with the helpmotorways were linked Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The capital of the state, Manama, has an airport on the outskirts. It is one of four located in the country. There are also three main seaports in Bahrain. The state's merchant fleet consists of eight heavy-duty vessels, each of which has a displacement of more than 1,000 gross register tons.
The level of trade in Bahrain
The country of Bahrain (capital - Manama) is an active participant in international trade. The main export items of the state include oil products and aluminum. Among the main trading partners are Saudi Arabia, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan. Bahrain imports crude oil for processing, consumer goods and foodstuffs. The main import partners are Saudi Arabia, Germany, USA, UK. The State of Bahrain has one of the most diversified economies in the Persian Gulf. Many multinational companies are attracted by its highly developed infrastructure and communications.
Economic policy
The economy of Bahrain, as before, directly depends on the amount of oil produced. Construction and banking are of great importance for the economic life of the country. In the latter, Bahrain is fighting with Malaysia for supremacy in the Islamic world. Due to internal unrest in the state, its economy was overtaken by a recession in 2011. Then the reputation of Bahrain as the financial center of the Persian Gulf suffered. At the moment, one of the main problems of the country is the policy in the economy, which is aimed at restoring confidence. It is also a public duty to fight unemployment, which primarily concerns young people.
Ancient history of Bahrain
The Arab state of Bahrain in the 3rd millennium BC had a developed civilization. It was characterized by fortified settlements. Archaeologists have discovered on the territory of ancient Bahrain, which was called Dilmun in ancient times, traces of the habitation of the Paleolithic man. Then the state was the largest center of trade through the sea. Handwritten information about Dilmun is found in Greek, Roman and Persian sources. In the 4th century AD, Bahrain was conquered by the Persians, in the 7th century by the Arabs. The latter dominated the territory of Bahrain until 1541, until they were captured by the Portuguese. The Persians again took possession of the lands of the present state in 1602. But they were also expelled by a representative of the ruling dynasty at the present time named Ahmad ibn al Khalifa in 1783. At the beginning of the 19th century, the British first landed on the coast of Bahrain and throughout the century tried to seize power in their own hands.
Struggle for independence and possessions
The country of Bahrain (a map of its location is attached to the article) gained independence in full in 1971. After about ten years, Iran again began to encroach on the sovereignty of the state. In response to attempts by opponents in the Persian Gulf to establish political primacy, Bahrain, together with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, created the Cooperation Council in 1981. Until now, the state has good neighborsrelations with almost all countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The exception is Qatar, which lays claim to the island of Hawar, transferred to Bahrain according to the decision of the British government during its protectorate over both countries. The International Court of Justice is still unable to resolve this conflict. This is the cause of tense relations between Bahrain and Qatar.
Military policy of the country
When you try to find the country of Bahrain on the world map (political), you can find that the state is the main base for the United States Navy in the Persian Gulf. The presence of the armed forces here has been welcomed by the emirate since 1949. Based on the territory of Bahrain, the American air force was allowed by the government of Bahrain in 1990 after the Iraqi army invaded and occupied Kuwait. This was the reason for the drafting of a defense cooperation agreement. On its basis, Bahrain, together with the United States, conducts military exercises, America undertakes to supply weapons to the Arab state in the event of a sharp aggravation of political conflicts.
Bahrain Grand Prix
At the present time, the state of Bahrain is famous for its international circuit Sakhir. Its construction began in 2002. Since it was planned to hold the stages of the Formula 1 race and drag racers competitions at the circuit, the project aroused great interest among both Bahraini residents and foreigners. The Grand Prix was first held on the track in 2004. The first winner to leave the circuit wasthe legendary Michael Schumacher. On the eve of the racing season in 2010, the configuration of the track in Bahrain was changed. A new segment was added to the route of the Formula pilots, and the length of the circuit as a whole began to be 6299 meters. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. The cost of its creation is approximately 150 million dollars. The autodrome has become one of the newest in Asia. The Formula 1 Grand Prix has been held at the Sakhir circuit 9 times (data for 2014).
