Bahrain
Name
| Official name | Kingdom of Bahrain |
|---|---|
| In Arabic | Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn (مملكة البحرين) |
| Former name | State of Bahrain, 1971–2002 |
| Demonym | Bahraini |
| Meaning of the name | "The two seas" — usually read as the salt sea around the islands and the fresh water that once welled up through it |
Quick facts
| Capital | Manama (al-Manāma), on Bahrain Island — also the largest city and the financial center; Muharraq was the capital until 1923 |
|---|---|
| Official language | Arabic — the Bahrani dialect at home; English widely used in business; Persian, Urdu and Malayalam among the expatriate communities |
| Currency | Bahraini dinar — ISO code BHD, symbol BD; 1 dinar = 1,000 fils; fixed at 0.376 to the U.S. dollar since 1980; issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain |
| Time zone | Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, all year |
| Calling code | +973 |
| Internet domain | .bh |
| ISO 3166 codes | BH · BHR · 048 |
| Vehicle registration code | BRN |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug type G |
| Independence | 15 August 1971, from British protection |
| National days | 16 December, National Day — the accession of Sheikh Isa bin Salman in 1961; 17 December, Accession Day |
| Kingdom | Proclaimed 14 February 2002, under the Constitution of the same day |
| Population | About 1.6 million (national estimate, 2025); 1.57 million by the CIA World Factbook (2024) — about half of them non-nationals |
| Area | 760 km² (293 sq mi) by the Factbook; about 786 km² by Bahrain's own count, growing with reclamation — 33 natural islands, about 50 with the artificial ones; a little over three times the size of Washington, D.C. |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A red field with a white band at the hoist, divided by a serration of five white points for the five pillars of Islam — the Gulf's red banner reshaped by the treaty stripe of 1820, the zigzag of 1932 and Decree-Law No. 4 of 14 February 2002.Flag of Bahrain |
|---|---|
| National emblem | A red shield with a white serrated chief mirroring the flag, on a mantle of red and white — designed by Charles Belgrave in 1932, revised in 1971 and 2002 |
| National anthem | "Bahrainona" ("Our Bahrain") — adopted at independence in 1971; new words for the kingdom in 2002 |
| National colors | Red and white |
| Royal standard | The national flag with white edges and a golden crown in the canton |
| National bird | The white-cheeked bulbul — widely cited, not designated |
| National tree | The date palm — the Tree of Life in the desert its most famous specimen — widely cited |
| National animal | The Arabian oryx — widely cited; a herd is kept at the Al Areen wildlife park |
| National dish | Machboos — spiced rice with meat or fish; muhammar, the sweet rice, beside it — widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, emblem and anthem are fixed by the Constitution (Article 3) and by law; the bird, tree, animal and dish are widely cited |
Geography
| Location | An archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia and northwest of Qatar — the only island state in the Arab world |
|---|---|
| Coastline | 161 km (100 mi) |
| Land borders | None — an island state; the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia is its one land link |
| The islands | 33 natural islands and about 50 with the reclaimed ones; Bahrain Island holds most of the people, with Muharraq, Sitra, Umm an Nasan and the Hawar Islands |
| Largest island | Bahrain Island, about 600 km² (230 sq mi) — some 51 km (32 mi) long and 18 km (11 mi) wide |
| Highest point | Jabal al-Dukhan, the Mountain of Smoke, 134–135 m (440 ft), in the center of the main island |
| Lowest point | The Persian Gulf, 0 m |
| Rivers | None — the islands are limestone; water comes from desalination and the remains of the ancient aquifer |
| Terrain | A low desert plain rising to a central limestone escarpment; the Hawar Islands off Qatar, awarded to Bahrain by the International Court of Justice in 2001 |
| Climate | Arid — mild winters and very hot, humid summers, with temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F) from June to September |
| Natural hazards | Drought and dust storms; the summer heat |
| Natural resources | Oil and gas, fish, pearls |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 11%; arable about 2%; forest under 1% |
| The Tree of Life | A lone mesquite some 400 years old in the desert south of Jabal al-Dukhan, with no visible water source |
| Protected areas | The Al Areen wildlife park; the Hawar Islands reserve; the Tubli Bay Ramsar site |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 3 — Qal'at al-Bahrain, the ancient harbor and capital of Dilmun (2005); Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy, the pearling path of Muharraq (2012); the Dilmun Burial Mounds (2019) |
| Administrative divisions | 4 governorates — Capital, Muharraq, Northern and Southern — since the Central Governorate was dissolved in 2014 |
People
| Population | About 1.6 million (2025); Bahrainis about half, expatriates — Indians the largest group — the rest |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 2,000 per km² (5,200 per sq mi) — among the densest countries in the world |
| Population growth | About 1% a year |
| Median age | About 33 years |
| Life expectancy | About 79 years |
| Fertility rate | About 1.8 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 90% |
| Adult literacy | About 97% |
| Ethnic groups | Bahraini about 46%, Asian about 46%, other Arab about 5%, African, European and others (2010 census) |
| Languages | Arabic official; English; Persian, Urdu, Malayalam, Tagalog among expatriates |
| Religion | Muslim about 74% — Bahraini citizens largely Shia, the ruling family and much of the state Sunni; Christian about 9%, Hindu about 10% among the expatriates (2020 est.) |
| Largest towns | Manama, Riffa, Muharraq, Hamad Town, A'ali, Isa Town, Sitra |
| Human Development Index | 0.899 (2023 data, 2025 report) — very high; 38th of 193 |
Government
| Form of government | Constitutional monarchy under the Constitution of 2002, with an appointed and an elected chamber |
|---|---|
| King | Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa — ruler since 6 March 1999, king since 14 February 2002 |
| Crown Prince and Prime Minister | Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa — prime minister since 11 November 2020, succeeding Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in office since 1971 |
| Parliament | The National Assembly — the Council of Representatives (40 elected) and the Consultative (Shura) Council (40 appointed) |
| Legal system | Civil, Islamic and English common law elements; a Constitutional Court |
| Administrative divisions | 4 governorates |
| Ruling house | The Al Khalifa, since 1783 |
| United Nations | Member since 21 September 1971 |
| Gulf Cooperation Council | Founding member, 1981; the Arab League since 1971 |
| Abraham Accords | Normalized relations with Israel on 15 September 2020, with the United Arab Emirates |
| Defense partnership | Home port of the United States Fifth Fleet since 1995; a Major Non-NATO Ally since 2002 |
| Other memberships | The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC's neighbor but not a member, the WTO (1995) |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$47 billion (2024–25, IMF and World Bank) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$29,000 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$69,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 3% (2025) |
| Economy by sector | Services about 52%, industry about 43%, agriculture under 1% (2023) |
| Currency | Bahraini dinar (BHD), fixed at 0.376 to the U.S. dollar |
| Oil | The first Gulf state to find oil, in 1932 — and the first whose reserves are running down; the Bapco refinery at Sitra processes mainly Saudi crude from a pipeline |
| Aluminum | Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the largest smelters in the world — aluminum the leading export after oil |
| Finance | The Gulf's first offshore banking center (1975) and a leading center of Islamic finance |
| Exports | About US$41 billion (2024) — refined petroleum, aluminum, iron ore pellets, gold |
| Export partners | The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United States, India |
| Public debt | High — well over 100% of GDP |
| Income classification | High income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Bahrain International Airport, on Muharraq — a new terminal opened in 2021 |
|---|---|
| Airline | Gulf Air, founded 1950 — among the oldest airlines in the Middle East |
| King Fahd Causeway | 25 km (16 mi) of bridges and causeway to Saudi Arabia, opened 1986 |
| Main port | Khalifa bin Salman Port at Hidd, opened 2009 |
| Roads | About 4,100 km (2,550 mi); causeways link Bahrain Island, Muharraq and Sitra |
| Railways | None — a Bahrain Metro is planned |
History in dates
| c. 2000 BC | Dilmun — the trading civilization between Mesopotamia and the Indus, its capital at Qal'at al-Bahrain |
|---|---|
| 629 | Bahrain accepts Islam during the Prophet's lifetime, by tradition |
| 1521 | The Portuguese take the islands; expelled in 1602 |
| 1783 | The Al Khalifa take Bahrain from the Persians |
| 1820 | The General Maritime Treaty with Britain — the white band joins the flag |
| 1861 | British protection begins |
| 1932 | Oil struck at Jabal al-Dukhan, 1 June — the first on the Arab side of the Gulf |
| 1971 | Independence, 15 August |
| 1986 | The King Fahd Causeway opens |
| 2001 | The ICJ awards the Hawar Islands to Bahrain; the National Action Charter approved |
| 2002 | The kingdom proclaimed, 14 February |
| 2004 | The first Formula One Grand Prix in the Middle East, at Sakhir |
| 2011 | The Pearl Roundabout protests, February–March |
| 2020 | The Abraham Accords, 15 September; Crown Prince Salman becomes prime minister, 11 November |
Records & firsts
| The Gulf's first oil | Jabal al-Dukhan, 1 June 1932 |
|---|---|
| The longest-serving prime minister | Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, 1971–2020 — 49 years |
| The Middle East's first Grand Prix | The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir, 4 April 2004 |
| One of the strongest currencies | The dinar, at 0.376 to the U.S. dollar |
| The Tree of Life | A 400-year-old mesquite alone in the desert |
| Dilmun | The burial-mound fields — tens of thousands of tumuli, a World Heritage site |
| The pearl capital | Before oil, the world's pearling center — the Muharraq pearling path a World Heritage site |
| Wind turbines in a skyscraper | The Bahrain World Trade Center (2008), the first to build wind turbines into its towers |
| The Arab world's island state | The only one |
| Density | Among the ten most densely populated countries on Earth |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Bahrain?
The Kingdom of Bahrain — Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn in Arabic — since February 14, 2002; before that the State of Bahrain. The name means "the two seas," a reading usually taken as the salt sea around the islands and the fresh springs that once rose through it.
What is the capital of Bahrain?
Manama (al-Manāma), on the northeast of Bahrain Island — the largest city and the country’s financial center, with the old souq, the Bahrain World Trade Center and the Bahrain Financial Harbour on its waterfront. Muharraq, across the causeway, was the capital until 1923.
How big is Bahrain, and how many people live there?
About 760 km² (293 sq mi) by the CIA World Factbook — the country’s own figure is higher, about 786 km², and rising with land reclamation — across 33 natural islands and some 50 with the artificial ones; a little over three times the size of Washington, D.C. About 1.6 million people live there, roughly half of them non-nationals.
What are the highest and lowest points of Bahrain?
Jabal al-Dukhan, the "Mountain of Smoke," at 134–135 m (440 ft) in the center of Bahrain Island, is the highest point; the shore of the Persian Gulf is the lowest. The islands are low desert limestone with no rivers — the old fresh springs have largely failed, and water comes from desalination.
What currency does Bahrain use?
The Bahraini dinar (ISO code BHD, symbol BD or .د.ب), divided into 1,000 fils and fixed at 0.376 to the U.S. dollar since 1980 — which makes it, by exchange rate, one of the strongest currencies in the world. Clocks keep Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, all year.
Who rules Bahrain?
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, ruler since March 6, 1999 and king since the kingdom was proclaimed on February 14, 2002. His son, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has been prime minister since November 11, 2020, succeeding Khalifa bin Salman, who had held the office for 49 years — the longest tenure of any prime minister in the world.
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