| Official
Name : |
DAWLAT AL-BAHRAYN (State of Bahrain) |
| Land
Area: |
760 square kilometres.(293 square miles) |
| Population: |
1.2 million. Including about 235,000 non-nationals. (estimate 2011). |
| Languages: |
Arabic (official), English. |
| Religions: |
Traditional 50%, Muslim 30%, Other 15%. |
| Capital: |
Manama. Population 163,000 (2009) |
| Currency: |
Bahraini dinar, divided into 1000 fils. |
| Independant: |
August 14 1971, from United Kingdom. |
| Geography: |
Consisting of 32 islands of which Bahrain Island is the largest. Most are low desert plain rising to a low central escarpment. 4% is arable, the remainder is mostly stunted scrubland, semi desert or desert. Oil spills and other tanker discharges are degrading the coastline and coral reefs. |
| Flag: |
A flag in red and white that are the traditional colours of the Gulf States. The serrated edge was originally a straight line and achieved a later form in 1932 by adding the serrated line to distinguish it from the flag of Dubai. The new Bahrain flag has less serrations to form 4 'triangles' plus 2 'half triangles'. |
