Kingdom of Bahrain
Western Asia
Pearl · Cosmopolitan · Ancient
Bahrain (officially Kingdom of Bahrain) is a country located in Western Asia. Its capital city is Manama, with other major cities including Muharraq and Riffa. With a population of approximately 1.5M, the main language spoken is Arabic. The country covers an area of 765 km². The official currency is the Bahraini dinar (.د.ب). Traffic drives on the right side.
Bahrain was the first Gulf state to discover oil (1932) and the first to run out of it, leading it to diversify into finance and tourism.
Manama serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Bahrain, positioned in Western Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Muharraq, Riffa — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Manama's Bahrain Fort — Qal'at al-Bahrain — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing archaeological layers from the Dilmun civilisation of 2300 BCE through to Portuguese occupation in the 16th century, making this small capital city the site of one of the most compressed stratigraphic records of Gulf trading history.
With a population of approximately 1.5M, Bahrain is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Arabic, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Bahrain is reached via the dialling code +973. Bahrain's pearl diving tradition — hamat al-ghaws — defined the archipelago's economy for over 2,000 years until Japanese cultured pearls collapsed the market in the 1930s, and the songs sung by divers during the descent, the fidjeri, are maintained by UNESCO-recognised ensembles as one of the Gulf's most specific oral musical traditions.
Bahrain spans 765 km², in the Western Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 26.0°N, 50.5°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the Bahraini dinar (.د.ب), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Bahrain's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+03:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Formula One holds a special place in the heart of Bahrain's national identity. The Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sakhir Circuit since 2004, introduced Formula One to the Middle East and has served as the season-opening race multiple times — the circuit's outer 'endurance' layout hosted the first night race in F1 history in 2014, and Bahrain's investment in motorsport infrastructure made it the regional model for subsequent Saudi and Abu Dhabi race bids.
The highest point in Bahrain is Jabal ad Dukhan, rising to 122 metres above sea level. The Hawar Islands, a Bahraini archipelago in the Gulf just off the Qatari coast whose sovereignty was disputed in a 30-year ICJ case finally settled in 2001, support the second-largest breeding colony of the Socotra cormorant on Earth — a seabird whose mass nesting involves hundreds of thousands of individuals.