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Official languages Arabic and English Capital Manama King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah Prime Minister Khalifah bin Sulman al-Khalifah Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa Area
- Total
- % water Ranked 176th
665 km² (253 sq. mi)
0% Population
- Total (2005)
- Density
Ranked 157th
688,345 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)
987/km² (2,556/sq. mi)
HDI (2003) 0.846 (43rd) – high Independence- From the United Kingdom
1971
Currency Bahraini Dinar (BHD) Time zone UTC+3 National anthem Bahrainona (Our Bahrain) Internet TLD .bh Calling Code 973 |
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Bahrain Information
Politics - Politics portal
Bahrain
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Bahrain
Constitution
King:
Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah
Prime minister
Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah
National Assembly
Council of Representatives
Consultative Council
Political parties
Elections
Governorates
Women's political rights
Foreign relations
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Main article: Politics of Bahrain
Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy headed by the King, Al Khalifa">Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; the head of government is the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa who presides over a cabinet of 15 members. 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.
The opening up of politics has seen big gains for both Shia and Sunni Islamists in elections, which has given them a parliamentary platform to pursue their policies. This has meant that what are termed 'morality issues' have moved further up the political agenda with parties launching campaigns to impose bans on female mannequins displaying lingerie in shop windows, sorcery and the hanging of underwear on washing lines. Supporters of democratisation in the Middle East cite the Islamists' references to respect for human rights in their justification for these programmes as evidence that these groups can serve as a progressive force in the region.
Bahraini liberals have responded to the growing power of religious extremist parties by organising themselves to campaign through civil society in order to defend basic personal freedoms from being legislated away. In November 2005, Al Muntada, a grouping of liberal academics, launched 'We Have A Right', a campaign to explain to the public why personal freedoms matter and why they need to be defended.
Women's political rights in Bahrain saw an important step forward when women were granted the right to vote and stand in national elections for the first time in 2002's election. However, no women were elected to office in that year’s polls and instead Shia and Sunni Islamists dominated the election, collectively winning a majority of seats. In response to the failure of women candidates, six were appointed to the Shura Council, which also includes representatives of the Kingdom’s indigenous Jewish and Christian communities. The country's first female cabinet minister was appointed in 2004 when Dr Nada Haffadh became Minister of Health.
The King recently created the Supreme Judicial Council to regulate the country's courts and institutionalize the separation of the administrative and judicial branches of government.
On 11-12 November 2005, Bahrain hosted the Forum for the Future bringing together leaders from the Middle East and G8 countries to discuss political and economic reform in the region.
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Main article: Economy of Bahrain
In a region currently experiencing an oil boom of unprecedented proportions, Bahrain is the fastest growing economy in the Arab world the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia found in January 2006. Bahrain also has the freest economy in the Middle East according to the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal, and is twenty-fifth freest overall in the world.
In Bahrain, petroleum production and processing account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil since 1985, for example, during and following the Persian Gulf crisis of 1990-91. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Persian Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems.
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 Bahrain from space, June 1996
Bahrain from space, June 1996
Main article: Demographics of Bahrain
The official religion of Bahrain is Philippines and Sri Lanka, the overall percentage of Muslims in the country has declined in recent years. According to the 2001 census, 81.2 percent of Bahrain's population was Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni), 9 percent were Christian, and 9.8 percent practiced other Asian or Middle Eastern religions.
Recently, Bahrain has transformed into a cosmopolitan society with mixed communities: two thirds of Bahrain's population consists of Arabs, while the rest are immigrants and guest workers 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."
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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Main articles, Tourism in Bahrain and List of Bahrain's tourist attractions
Bahrain has long been a popular tourist destination for visitors from neighboring states, but growing awareness of its rich heritage dating back five thousand years to the Dilmun civilization means that the Kingdom is steadily attracting visitors from further abroad.
Bahrain combines a modern infrastructure and comparatively liberal society with an authentic Gulf experience making it an ideal introduction to the Middle East. Tourist attractions include historic sites such as the recently UNESCO listed Al Bahrain">Qalat Al Bahrain castle and archaeological complex, the tens of thousands of ancient Dilmun Burial Mounds that dot the landscape, traditional Arab culture, shopping in the Kingdom's malls and souks, and the opportunity to relax in the many hotel beach resorts and luxury spas.
The Kingdom is becoming increasingly popular with celebrities: during a 2006 New Year break in Manama controversial former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan told the Telegraph that he found his "arch-enemies", TV presenter Carol Vorderman and journalist Des Kelly, sharing the same hotel swimming pool.
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