Profile in Bahrain
Country Name   Kingdom of Bahrain   
Government   constitutional monarchy
Country Area   665 sq km
Region   Middle East
Location   Middle East, east of Saudi Arabia, archipelago in the Persian Gulf  
Population   718,306 (2008 est.)
Religion   Muslim 
Capital   Manama (Al-Manamah)
Major Provinces   Al Muharraq
Official Language   Arabic

Viewow’s Traveler Notes in Bahrain
International Dialling Code   +973
Internet Country Code   .bh
Time zone   GMT +3
Monetary Unit   Bahrain Dinar (BHD)

Weights and Measures   The metric system is in use and local measures also 
Electric Power   230 V / 50 Hz (Awali 110 V, 60 Hz)
Electric Plugs   G

Rectangular blade plug

Coordinates   26 00 N, 50 33 E

Total Area   665 sq km
Land Area   665 sq km
Water Area   0 sq km
Land Boundaries   0 km  
Border Countries   no countries
Costline Lenghts   161 km
Highets Point   Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Lowest Point   Persian Gulf 0 m
Terrain   mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Climate   arid; very hot, humid summers, pleasant winter; Prevailing southeast winds occasionally raise dust storms

Average Tempretures in Summer   29°C (84°F) to 37°C (99°F) in July

Average Tempretures in Winter   14°C(57°F) to 20°C (68°F) in January

Annual Rainfall Average   less than 10 cm (4 in)

View of People in Bahrain
National Name   Mamlakat al Bahrayn 
Nationality   Bahraini

Anthem   just music, no words
Ethnicity   Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census
Languages   Arabic, English,Urdu, Farsi
Religious   Muslim 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
Independance Day   15 August 1971 (from the UK)

View of Demographics in Bahrain
Population Density   1,080.2% per sq km (July 2008 est.)
Population Growth   1.337% (2008 est.)
Urban Population Rate   87.8% (2001)
Infant Mortality Rate   12.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Total Fertility Rates   2.53 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Life Expectancy   74.92 years
Birth Rate   17.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate   4.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex Ratio   1.1825 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Divorces   1,130 (annual divorces), 0,16% (2006)
Literacy Rate   86.5% (2001 census)
Literacy Rate (female)   83.6% (2001 census)
Suffrage   20 years of age

View of Economy in Bahrain

GDP (ppp)   $24.5 billion (2007 est.)
Budget   revenues: $6.168 billion  ,  expenditures: $5.205 billion (2007 est.)

Public Debts   29.4% (of GDP - 2007 est.) 
Exports   $13.44 billion (2007 est.)
Imports   $9.858 billion (2007 est.)
Invenstment   17.7 % (of GDP - 2007 est.)
Unemployment Rate   15% (2005 est.)
Labor Force   363,000 (2007 est.)
Inflation Rate   3.4% (2007 est.)
Growth Rate   6.6% (2007 est.)
Arable Land   91.55  (2005)
Industries   petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, iron pelletization, fertilizers, tourism
Agriculture   shrimp, fish; fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products
Natural Resources   associated and nonassociated natural gas, oil, ish, pearls

View of Some Facts in Bahrain
Main Lines Phones   193,300 (2006) 
Mobile Phones   1.116 million (2007)
Internet Hosts   2,413 (2007)
Internet users   157,300 (2006)
Airports  3 (2007)
Gsm   GSM 900 / GSM 1800
Gsm Operator   BaTelCo, MTC-VFBH
Highways   3,498 km (2003)
Merchant Marine   6 ships (1000 GRT or over) (2008)
Ports and Terminals   Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Business Week in Bahrain

---- Offices

Saturday - Wednesday   7a.m. to noon, 2:30p.m. to 5p.m.  

Thursday   7:30a.m. to noon

Friday   closed
---- Retails

Saturday - Thursday    8a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 3:30p.m. to 6:30p.m.

(Wednesdays and Thursdays stores may stay open until 9p.m.)

Friday   closed

---- Banks

Saturday - Wednesday   7:30a.m. to noon

Thursday   7a.m. to 11a.m.

Friday   closed

----  Government

Monday - Thursday   7a.m. to 1p.m.

New Year's Day   January 1

National Day   December 16 , 17

Start of Ramadan

End of Ramadan

Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an Nabi)

Sacrifice Feast (Eid Al Adha)

Ashoora
Islamic New Year

More About Bahrain

There couldn’t be a better symbol of this tiny island state, with its anchorage in a sea full of pearls, but its future in the busy skies overhead: a transit hub on an ancient caravan route in one of the most strategic and commercially rich stretches of water in the world.

Like the pearls on which the island’s wealth was built, the rough exterior takes a bit of prising open, but it is worth the effort. Just as the sweet-water springs in the sea surrounding Bahrain have encouraged the most lustrous and valued of pearls, so have they encouraged over 4,000 years of settlement, the layers of which are exposed in rich archaeological sites around the island, dating back to the days of the Dilmun trading empire, as well as in some of the more extravagant expressions of modern living.

There are many sights to reward a visit, from the excellent National Museum in Manama, the traditional houses of Muharraq and the extraordinary burial mounds at Sar and state-of-the-art Formula 1 Racetrack.