Interesting Facts About Bahrain - Fun Facts About Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain or simply Bahrain is an island country which is located in the Persian Gulf. The Saudi Arabia is located to the west of it, and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway. Qatar is located to the south of the Gulf of Bahrain. Arabic is the primary language of the country although English, Persian and Urdu are also spoken. Its natural resources mainly consist of oil, natural gas and fish stocks. Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002. Its ruler and the members forming the ministry are Sunni Muslims. Ever since it was declared a kingdom, Bahrain has been one of the fast developing nations and has been identified by the World Bank as a high income economy. It’s Human Development Index, which is 42^nd highest in the world, is also excellent. Though the nation relies heavily on its oil resources for revenue, yet the government has taken several efforts to diversify the economy. Currently, it is concentrating on the banking sector and tourism.

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Fast Facts

Continent: Asia

Area: 765 km²

Capital: Manama

Population: 1,234,571 (2010 estimate)

Currency: Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Time Zone: Atlantic Standard Time Zone, GMT+3

Calling Code: 973

Official Language: Arabic

Type Of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Interesting & Fun Facts About Bahrain

The island country of Bahrain is spread over a total area of about 665sq.kms. It is a country which experiences some arid, mild winters and very long and humid summers.
Bahrain is an amalgamation of 33 islands in the Arabian Gulf, which are situated between the east coast of Saudi Arabia and the Qatar Peninsula.
The capital of Bahrain is Manama, and it is 3 hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time.
The total amount of arable land in Bahrain constitutes to just about 2.82% of the total available area. Desert constitutes about 92% of the total land.
Since Bahrain's independence, there have been continuous conflicts between the ruling Sunni tribe and the Shiite majority.
A new Constitution was formed in the year 2002 which provided for an elected Parliament and gave the women the right to vote for the first time.
Bahrain has been proposed as a site for the Biblical Garden of Eden.
Bahrain is one of the fastest growing economies in the whole of Arab world.
The term 'Bahrain' is an Arabic word which means two sources of water, sweet water springs and salty water in the seas that surrounds the island country.
Bahrain was captured by the Al Khalifa family in the year 1782; they captured it from the Persians. It was King Hamad bin Isa Alkhalifa who introduced many economic and political reforms, after he came to power.
The whole economy of Bahrain is based on oil and oil reserves. It is a very important financial center of the Arab world.
The relationship within a family runs very high in Bahrain. Bahraini people love dance and music and hence their culture is rich in various kinds of art forms.
Its currency is called Bahraini Dinar.
The highest point of Bahrain is ‘Jabal ad Dukhan’, meaning the Mountain of smoke. It is only 122 meters above sea level.
The whole of Bahrain is divided into five regions known as governorates.
Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia mainland by a bridge called the King Fahd Causeway.
There is a 400 year old Mesquite tree in Bahrain called the ‘Tree of Life’, which stands alone in the Desert of Bahrain.
Bahrain’s world trade center is the first high-rise building in the world to have wind turbines in its design.
It is one of the 3 countries which have the Shiites Muslims as majority, though it is ruled by Sunni.
The national flag of Bahrain used to be the biggest flag, a record which was later broken by the Israeli flag.
Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002. Before 2002, Bahrain was a state
Dr. Nada Haffadh became the first female cabinet minister of Bahrain in 2004.
Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa of Bahrain was the first ever woman from the Middle East to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly.
In Bahrain only 2.82% of the land is suitable for farming, the rest 92% is desert.
The Guinness Book of World Records has documented the world’s largest coin toss event held in Bahrain, organized by the British School of Bahrain.
The Bahrain government provides free medical care, education, and old-age pensions to its people.

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