BAHRAIN

officially State of Bahrain, Arabic Dawlat Al-Bahrayn small Arab state in the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Islandextending about 30 miles (50 km) from north to south and 10 miles (16 km) from east to westand some 30 smaller islands. Its Arabic name means two seas. Bahrain is situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf; Saudi Arabia lies to the west across the Gulf of Bahrain, while the Qatar peninsula lies to the east. The King Fahd Causeway, 15 miles (24 km) long, links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. Bahrain's total land area is 268 square miles (694 square km). The chief town, port, and capital is Manama (Al-Manamah), on the northeastern tip of Bahrain Island. officially State of Bahrain, Arabic al-Bahrayn, or Dawlat al-Bahrayn country occupying an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and about 30 smaller islands, lying along the Arabian Peninsula in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. The main island is about 30 miles (48 km) from north to south and about 10 miles (16 km) from east to west and lies some 120 miles (190 km) southwest of Iran, in the Gulf of Bahrain, midway between Saudi Arabia to the west and the Qatar Peninsula to the east. The capital is Manama (Al-Manamah). Area 267 square miles (692 square km). Pop. (1993 est.) 546,000. Additional reading Comparative coverage of the Persian Gulf region is provided by Helen Chapin Metz (ed.), Persian Gulf States: Country Studies, 3rd ed. (1994); John Bulloch, The Persian Gulf Unveiled (also published as The Gulf, 1984); Alvin J. Cottrell (ed.), The Persian Gulf States: A General Survey (1980); Michael Herb, All in the Family: Absolutism, Revolution, and Democracy in the Middle Eastern Monarchies (1999); Anthony Cordesman, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE (1997); and F. Gregory Gause, III, Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States (1994). Good general accounts of Bahrain include John Whelan (ed.), Bahrain (1983); Angela Clarke, The Islands of Bahrain: An Illustrated Guide to Their Heritage (1981); and James H.D. Belgrave, Welcome to Bahrain, 9th ed. (1975), a detailed guidebook that includes the geography, history, and customs of Bahrain, together with a bibliography of works in Arabic, English, and French. Discussions of early regional history include Ahmad Mustafa Abu-Hakima, History of Eastern Arabia, 17501800: The Rise and Development of Bahrain and Kuwait (1965); and J.B. Kelly, Britain and the Persian Gulf, 17951880 (1968). More specific studies of the islands' history include Curtis E. Larsen, Life and Land Use on the Bahrain Islands: The Geoarcheology of an Ancient Society (1983); Abbas Faroughy, The Bahrein Islands, 7501951: A Contribution to the Study of Power Politics in the Persian Gulf: An Historical, Economic, and Geographical Survey (1951); and M.G. Rumaihi, Bahrain: Social and Political Change Since the First World War (1976). Economic, political, and social conditions are addressed in Jeffrey B. Nugent and Theodore Thomas (eds.), Bahrain and the Gulf: Past Perspectives and Alternative Futures (1985), which has a good account of resources and economic development; Fuad I. Khuri, Tribe and State in Bahrain: The Transformation of Social and Political Authority in an Arab State (1980); and Mahdi Abdalla Al-Tajir, Bahrain, 19201945: Britain, the Shaikh, and the Administration (1987). Further bibliographic information can be found in P.T.H. Unwin (compiler), Bahrain (1984). Jill Ann Crystal Administration and social conditions The emir, who is chief of state, is assisted by a cabinet, or council of ministers, which consists of the heads of various government departments; many of the ministers are members of the royal family. A constitution promulgated in 1973 created a National Assembly composed of members of the cabinet and elected members who were elected by popular vote, but after a period of labour unrest and political agitation the assembly was dissolved by the emir in 1975. Public representation reverted to the traditional Arab and Islamic system of a majlis (council), through which citizens and other residents may present petitions to the emir. In 1993 the emir created a 30-member consultative advisory council (increased to 40 in 1996); members serve four-year terms and are appointed by the emir. Political parties are forbidden. Public education is free for both boys and girls at the primary, intermediate, and secondary levels and is mandatory for all children aged 6 to 17. Private schools are available as well. The University of Bahrain and Arabian Gulf University are the country's institutions of higher learning. The vast majority of the population is literate. Medical care is extensive and free, and there is provision for most forms of social security: pensions, sick pay, compensation for industrial injury, unemployment benefits, and maternity and family allowance payments. The infant mortality rate is relatively low for the gulf region. The government also sponsors public housing projects that are partially funded by its gulf neighbours. Cultural life In spite of its rapid economic development, Bahrain remains, in many respects, essentially Arab in its culture. The state television and radio stations broadcast most programs in Arabic, although there are channels in English. Football (soccer) is the most popular modern sport, while traditional pastimes such as falconry and gazelle and hare hunting are still practiced by wealthier Bahrainis. Horse and camel racing are popular public entertainments. Several weekly and daily papers are published in Arabic, and a small number appear in English. Most of the press is privately owned and is not subject to censorship as long as it refrains from criticizing the ruling family. Traditional handicraft industries enjoy state and popular support. The museum in Manama contains local artifacts dating from antiquity, such as ivory figurines, pottery, copper articles, and gold rings, many of which reflect various cultural influences from outside Bahrain. There is also a small but flourishing avant-garde art community.