Facts and Figures

Bahrain is an Arabic word meaning “Two Seas”, referring to the island’s two sources of water, sweet water springs and salty water.

The Kingdom is an archipelago of 40 islands - a number that is growing as new developments spring up across the Kingdom - placed midway between the Qatar peninsula and Saudi Arabia.
• Capital: Manama
• Total Land Area: 711 sq km
• Time Zone: GMT + 3
• Population: 760,168
• People: Bahraini (63%), Asian (19%), Iranian (8%), other Arab (10%)
• Labor Force: 380,000 (2005 est.)
• Population Growth: 1.45% (2006 est.)
• Languages: The official language is Arabic. English is very widely spoken and is the principal language of commerce.
• Religion: Islam, other religions and indigenous beliefs
• Currency: Bahraini Dinar, which is pegged to the US Dollar
• Head of State: King Hamad bin Essa Al-Khalifa
• Head of Government: Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa
• Crown Prince and Commander-in-chief of the Bahrain Defense Force: Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa
• Parliament: Bahrain has a bicameral legislature with a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, elected by universal suffrage and the upper house, the Shura Council, appointed by the King. Both houses have forty members. The inaugural elections were held in 2002, with parliamentarians serving four year terms
• International affiliations: Bahrain is a member of the UN, Arab League, Gulf Co-operation Council and the Organization of the Islamic Conference
• Logistics: Bahrain has an excellent road network with causeway connections to Muharraq and Sitra islands and to Saudi Arabia. A road link is also planned between Bahrain and Qatar - which is due for completion in 2010. Bahrain International Airport in Muharraq is one of the busiest airports in the Middle East with the most connections to the rest of the region. It is used by most major international airlines. Manama is the headquarters of Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier. Steamers run scheduled service from Bahrain to other Gulf ports and to Pakistan and India.
• e-enabled: Bahrain is one of the region’s leaders when it comes to e-government. At www.e.gov.bh , you can find many Government services and sources of information about the Kingdom.
• GDP: US$12.07 billion (2006 est)
• GDP per capita: US$25,600 (2006 est)
GDP growth: 7.1% (2006 est)

Relevant links

Government Services www.e.gov.bh
EDB Bahrain www.bahrain.com
Bahrain Tourism www.bahraintourism.com/subpage1.htm