Exploring Bahrain's Unique Administrative Divisions

Bahrain is a small Arab state situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and some 30 smaller islands. The country is divided into four governorates: the Capital, Northern, Southern, and Muharraq. Each governorate is governed by a governor appointed by the prime minister and has its own municipality council. Bahrain's total land area is slightly greater than that of Singapore, covering 780 km², and it has a population of approximately 1.5 million people.

Bahrain is divided into four governorates: Capital, Northern, Southern and Muharraq

Bahrain is divided into four governorates: the Capital, Northern, Southern and Muharraq. Each governorate is governed by a governor who is appointed by the prime minister. Each has its own municipality council, with separate elections held every four years.

The Capital Governorate is the first of the four governorates. It is followed by the Muharraq Governorate, which includes Al-Muharraq and Sitrah, both to the northeast of Bahrain Island and joined to it by causeways. Next is the Northern Governorate, and finally, the Southern Governorate.

Bahrain's governorates were established in 2002 when the country was split into five administrative regions, each with its own governor. The fifth region, the Central Governorate, was abolished in 2014.

The country is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and about 30 smaller islands

The Kingdom of Bahrain is an island country in West Asia, situated on the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and about 30 smaller islands. Its name comes from the Arabic term 'al-baḥrayn', meaning 'two seas'.

Bahrain is a small Arab state situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is renowned for its lush groves of date palms and has long been an important trading hub and source of natural resources for the surrounding area. The country's economy has traditionally relied on processing crude oil from neighbouring countries, but in recent years, the financial, commercial services, and communications sectors have grown significantly, as has tourism.

Bahrain Island, the largest island in the kingdom, accounts for around 83% of the country's landmass. The country's capital, Manama, is located on the northeastern tip of Bahrain Island and is a strikingly modern and cosmopolitan city. The state consists of two separate groups of islands, extending about 30 miles (50 km) from north to south and 10 miles (16 km) from east to west. The small islands in both groups are rocky and low-lying, while the main island features a more varied landscape, including a rocky and barren central region and a fertile northern and northwestern coast with date palms and vegetable gardens.

The Hawar Islands, located near the coast of Qatar, are believed to hold petroleum and natural gas reserves. Bahrain Island is also surrounded by smaller islands such as Al-Muḥarraq, Sitrah, Nabī Ṣāliḥ, Al-Muḥammadiyyah, and Jiddah. These islands are connected to Bahrain Island by causeways, facilitating residential and industrial development.

In addition to its natural islands, Bahrain has also constructed 33 artificial islands, contributing to the country's total area of approximately 780 square kilometres.

Bahrain is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family

Bahrain is officially the Kingdom of Bahrain and is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centred on Bahrain Island, which makes up around 83% of the country's landmass. Bahrain is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al-Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim. The Al Khalifa family is a prominent trading clan originally based in Kuwait. The current head of the family is King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who became the Emir of Bahrain in 1999 and proclaimed himself King of Bahrain in 2002, becoming a constitutional monarch.

The Al Khalifa family first gained control of Bahrain in 1783, when the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur. The leader of the family, Shaykh Ahmad bin Khalifa, called "the Conqueror" by his allies, ruled the islands from Zubara, on the northwestern coast of Qatar, until his death in 1796. His sons, Sulman and Abdullah, then shared the rulership, co-signing the pivotal 1820 treaty with Britain that recognised the Al Khalifa as the legitimate rulers of Bahrain.

In 1869, British forces stepped in to end the fighting between the descendants of Sulman and Abdullah and appointed Shaykh Isa bin Ali, a great-grandson of Sulman, as ruler. Treaties in 1880 and 1892 confirmed Isa's undisputed position. Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in the late 1800s and gained independence in 1971.

Bahrain's current king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has introduced a number of political reforms, including granting women the right to vote and releasing all political prisoners. Bahrain is a semi-constitutional monarchy, with the king enjoying wide executive powers, including appointing the prime minister and his ministers, commanding the army, and chairing the Higher Judicial Council. In 2010, about half of the cabinet was composed of the Al Khalifa family.

The country's economy has long relied on processing crude oil from neighbouring countries

Bahrain is a small Arab state situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and about 30 smaller islands. The name "Bahrain" comes from the Arabic term "al-baḥrayn", meaning "two seas".

Bahrain is located in one of the world's chief oil-producing regions but has only small stores of petroleum. Instead, its economy has long relied on processing crude oil from neighbouring countries. In addition, the financial, commercial services, and communications sectors have grown markedly in recent years, as has tourism.

Bahrain receives its oil revenues from two fields: the onshore Bahrain field and the offshore Abu Safah field, which it shares with Saudi Arabia. In April 2018, the Bahraini government announced its biggest oil and gas discovery since the 1930s: an extensive reservoir off Bahrain's west coast, estimated to contain about 80 billion barrels of tight oil.

Bahrain's oil exports have accounted for over 70% of government income since 2007. As a result, the government is seeking to diversify the economy and income sources from other sectors, such as plastics, fiberglass, chemicals, petrochemicals, and food processing. The petrochemical industry, in particular, has seen rapid growth in recent years, with five sub-sectors expanding rapidly.

Bahrain's economy is not solely dependent on oil exports, however. The country has developed one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf, thanks to decades of investment in the banking and tourism sectors. Bahrain is recognised by the World Bank as a high-income economy, and many of the world's largest financial institutions have a presence in the country's capital, Manama.

In terms of administrative divisions, Bahrain is divided into four governorates: the Capital, Northern, Southern, and Muharraq. Each governorate is governed by a governor appointed by the prime minister and has its own municipality council, with separate elections held every four years.

Bahrain's population is predominantly Muslim, with about 70% Shia and 30% Sunni Muslims

Bahrain is a small Arab state situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and about 30 smaller islands. The country is officially called the Kingdom of Bahrain and its capital is Manama. The state religion of Bahrain is Islam and the country's population is predominantly Muslim.

Bahrain's 2010 census indicated that 90.2% of the population is Muslim. The last official census (1941) to include sectarian identification reported 55% as Shia and 45% as Sunni of the Muslim population. Unofficial sources estimate the current sectarian identification to be approximately 70% Shia and 30% Sunni. There has been a massive increase in the Sunni Muslim population in Bahrain as of 2021 due to the increasing rates of political naturalization of Sunni migrants, as well as Sunni Muslims in Bahrain having a high proportion of young people, and a high fertility rate.

The country observes the Muslim feasts of Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Muhammad's birthday (Mawlid), and the Islamic New Year as national holidays. The constitution of Bahrain provides for freedom of conscience, the inviolability of places of worship, and freedom to perform religious rites. It also guarantees the right to express and publish opinions, provided these do not infringe on the “fundamental beliefs of Islamic doctrine”.

The ruling Al Khalifa royal family has been criticised for violating the human rights of groups including dissidents, political opposition figures, and its majority Shia Muslim population.

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