Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, or Bahrain (formerly spelled Bahrein), (Arabic: ????? ???????) is a borderless island nation in the Persian Gulf (Southwest Asia/Middle East, Asia). Saudi Arabia is to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway, and Qatar is to the south across the Persian Gulf. The Qatar?Bahrain Friendship Bridge, currently in planning, will link Bahrain to Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Bahrain

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The official religion of Bahrain is Islam, with the population overwhelmingly comprised of Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, but there are also small indigenous Jewish and Christian minorities. Most Bahrainis are of Arab origin, although some tribes trace their roots back to Persia.

Related Topics:
Islam - Shi'a - Sunni Muslims - Jew - Christian

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Nowadays Bahrain is a cosmopolitan society with mixed communities: two thirds of Bahrain's population consists of Arabs while the rest are immigrants and guest workers that are largely from Iran, South Asia and Southeast Asia. A Financial Times published on 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polyglot state, both religiously and racially. Leaving aside the temporary immigrants of the past 10 years, there are at least eight or nine communities on the island".

Related Topics:
Arabs - Iran - South Asia - Southeast Asia - 31 May - 1983

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The present communities may be classified as Al-Khalifa, Arab tribes allied to Al-Khalifa, the Baharnah (Shia Arabs), the Howilla (Sunni Arabs from Persia), Sunni Arabs (from the mainland), Ajam (Persian Shia), Indians who traded with Bahrain and settled before the age of oil (used to be called Banyan), a tiny Jewish community, and a miscellaneous grouping.

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