Bahrain
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Manama
- Population
- 1,566,888 (2024 est.)
- Area
- 760 sq km
- Government
- constitutional monarchy
- Religions
- Muslim 74.2%, other 25.9% (2020 est)
- Ethnic Groups
- Bahraini 47.4%, Asian 43.4%, other Arab 4.9%, African 1.4%, North American 1.1%, Gulf Co-operative countries 0.9%, European 0.8%, other 0.1% (2020 est.)
- Currency
- Bahraini dinars (BHD)
- Life Expectancy
- 80.4 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .bh
- Climate
- arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
- Terrain
- mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
- Natural Resources
- oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
- Major Exports
- refined petroleum, aluminum, iron ore, aluminum wire, jewelry (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
In 1783, the Sunni AL-KHALIFA family took power in Bahrain. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971.