Introduction
Bahrain is one of the wealthiest country in the Arab.It is because of the simple
reason that it has really rich oil reserves that have proved to be a boon to
the economy of this country that sees itself rising year after year with a very
favourable growth prospects to support it .Bahrain is a group of 33 islands,
with an area of 707 square kilometres, is situated in the Arabian Gulf, off
the east coast of Saudi Arabia. The local time is GMT + 3 hours. The state obtains
or rather takes its name from the largest island Bahrain, that is 586.5 square
kilometres. It is linked by causeways to Muharraq (international airport) and
Sitra (industrial area and tank-farm).These are the main connecting points that
help it connect to the oustside world. There are numerous other tiny islands,
but they are mainly uninhabited and are best known for the variety of migrating
birds which pass through in spring and autumn.Here the language that is folloed
is Arabic which is the official language, although English is widely understood
and it's used by most businesses.Islam is the religion of Bahrain and is practised
by a large, majority . Places of worship of other faiths exist on the island.
Business and Economy
The country of Bahrain has a mixed kind of economy that sees both public and
private players in the market to compete in the global market.However the government
control of many basic industries, including the important oil and refineries
are there.Between the years 1981 and 1993, Bahrain Government expenditures increased
by 64%. During that same time, government revenues continued to be largely dependent
on the oil industry and increased by only 4%. Bahrain has received significant
budgetary support and project grants from Saudi Arabia.Though they are still
very prominent in the oil and refinery industry there has been a change in the
scenario where other options are still persiting and thronging.Privatisation
is a trend now here where there are other international and other domestic major
players participate in the economic trend setting and are becoming prominent
in their own spheres. The government has used its modest oil revenues to build
an advanced infrastructure in transportation and telecommunications. Bahrain
is a regional financial and business center.
Major Cities
If you visit the country of Bahrain and donot viist the important and quite
prominent places of the country then you are definitely missing out on something.No
Visit to Bahrain would be completed without a trip to the soukh , that is associated
with its profusion of colors, sounds, and aromas. The shopping experience is
also interesting and the gold rates are very cheap in comparison to the other
countries where they are quite expensive and are on a very high side.All wares
are sold, from cloth of colors and textures to gold and jewelry as well as the
traditional array of spices and local produce.
Some of the important places that one can visit and enjoy are The Soukh,King
Fahad Causeway, The Gold Soukh, Jasra House, The Cloth Soukh, Salman bin Ahmed
,Al fateh Fort ,Siyadi House ,Horse-Riding Al-Khamis Mosque, Horse Racing, Bahrain
Fort ,Riffa Gulf Club ,Barbar Temple ,Diving ,Museum of Pearl, Diving, Dress
,Bait Al Qur'an ,Arabic Coffee & Hospitality, Arad Fort Oil Museum, Shaikh
Isa's House ,Oil Well No.1 ,Tree of Life.
Fact Sheet
Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi
Arabia
Capital: Manama
Area: 665 sq. km; 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.
Population: 667,238 (July 2003 est.) note: includes 235,108 non-nationals
Ethnic Groups: Bahraini 63 percent, Asian 19 percent, other Arab 10 percent,
Iranian eight percent
Religion: Shi'a Muslim 70 percent, Sunni Muslim 30 percent
Industries: Petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore
banking, ship repairing, tourism
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
Natural HWorld rank (of 177): 40
Index (1.0 max): 0.843
Hazards: Periodic droughts; dust storms
