Bahrain is an Arabic word meaning "Two Seas". Archaeological evidence indicates that Bahrain was inhabited at least 50,000 years ago. Originally seat of the Dilmun civilization, Bahrain had connections with Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, then in around 600BC became part of the Babylonian Empire.

By 650AD, the Arabian Peninsula, including Bahrain, came under the rule of the followers of the prophet Mohammed.

The Al-Khalifa family took Bahrain from Persia in 1783 and by the end of the century had moved their capital to Bahrain from Qatar.


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In 1820, Bahrain became a British protectorate, along with several other Gulf States.
Bahrain was the first Gulf country to discover petroleum in 1932. Oil provided the Ruling Family with an independent source of income, with which they developed a modern state administration, and Bahrain became strategically and commercially more important. The UK’s naval forces in the Persian Gulf established their base port at Al Jufayr in Bahrain.

On 14 August 1971, following Britain's decision to withdraw its armed forces from East of Suez, Bahrain announced its Independence from the UK. In 1973, a National Constitution was introduced, together with a democratic National Assembly; the Amir dissolved the Assembly in 1975 after it refused to pass a proposed State Security Law.

Capital: Manama

Language: Arabic is the official language of Bahrain. Other languages spoken are English, Farsi and Urdu.

Currency: Bahrain currency is called Dinar (BHD). Money can be changed easily at any commercial bank or at one of the money changers found in the Soukh. There are no restrictions on the import and export of currency. The Bahraini Dinar is linked with the US dollar at US$ 1= BD 0.375 and is divided into 1000 fils.

Religion: Islam is practised by 85 percent of the population. However, Bahrain being an extremely tolerant society allows freedom of worship to a number of other faiths including Hinduism, Parseeism, Judaism, Budhism, and Christianity. There are a variety of places of worship available on the island, including both Anglican and Catholic churches.

Time: GMT + 3.

Electricity: The electricity supply in Bahrain is 230 volts, 50 Hz except in Awali where it is 110 volts, 60 Hz. Bahrain uses 3-pin power outlets.