Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an absolute monarchy and island nation in the Persian Gulf region, being the smallest Arab state. It has been ruled by the Al Khalifa dynasty since 1783, after the Bani Utbah clan captured the island. Bahrain has been a protectorate of the United Kingdom since the late 1800s to 1971. Formerly a state, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002. The country has a population of about 1,300,000 people, of which more than half are foreigners.
History[]
Bahrain has been ruled by the House of Khalifa since 1783 in various forms. In the early 19th century, Bahrain was invaded by both the Saudis and the Omanis. It became a protectorate of the UK in the late 1880s and remained so until 1971, when it became an independent State of Bahrain. It was ruled by emirs until 2002, when the reigning emir proclaimed himself King of Bahrain. The country also adopted a constitution that year to turn it into a de jure constitutional monarchy, but the King still has near-absolute power.
Geography[]
Bahrain is located on a small archipelago of 33 islands, with the largest one being Bahrain Island. It is connected to Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway.
Economy[]
According to international organizations such as the United Nations Social and Economic Commission for Western Asia, Bahrain has the fastest growing economy of the Arab states. Petroleum and aluminum exports account for over 70% of government revenues. Since only about 3% of the land of Bahrain is arable, agriculture only accounts for .5% of GDP. Thus the kingdom relies on foreign food exports for its population. Youth unemployment and depletion of natural resources are some of the long-term challenges that the Bahraini government is coping with.
However, the tourism sector is becoming increasingly successful in Bahrain, with about four to eight million tourists visiting the kingdom annually. Most of these are from surrounding Arab states though a growing number is from other regions.