Bahrain was the central location of the ancient Dilmun civilization. Bahrain's strategic location in the Persian Gulf has brought rule and influence from mostly the Persians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Portuguese, the Arabs, and the British. Whilst the country had closest economic relations with Indians or South Asians for the longest time, much more than the Arabs themselves.
The Kingdom of Bahrain consists of Bahrain Island and 33 of the 37 Bahrain Islands, lying in the Persian Gulf's Gulf of Bahrain off the north shore of Asia's Arabian Peninsula. Bahrain's capital city is Manama. The islands are about 24 kilometers (15 mi) off the east coast of Saudi Arabia and 28 kilometers (17 mi) from Qatar. The total area of the country is about 780 square kilometers (301 sq mi), about 3.5 times the size of the District of Columbia.
The Military of Bahrain popularly known as Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) is under Bahrain's Ministry of Defence and a part of the government and is simply Bahrain Defence Force under a field marshal who is the commander-in-chief.
Bahrain plays a modest, moderating role in regional politics and adheres to the views of the Arab League on Middle East peace and Palestinian rights. Since achieving independence in 1971, Bahrain has maintained friendly relations with most of its neighbours and with the world community. It generally pursues a policy of close consultation with neighbouring states and works to narrow areas of disagreement.
Gulf Air Flight 771 was a flight from Karachi, Pakistan, to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. On 23 September 1983, while the Boeing 737-2P6 was on approach to Abu Dhabi International Airport, a bomb exploded in the baggage compartment. The plane crashed in the desert near Mina Jebel Ali between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE. All five crew members and 107 passengers died. Most of the dead were Pakistani nationals, many returning to jobs in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain after spending the Eid al Adha holiday with their families in Pakistan.
Sakhir is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of the Kingdom of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870.
The Tree of Life (Shajarat-al-Hayat) in Bahrain is a 9.75 meters high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old. It is on a hill in a barren area of the Arabian Desert, 2 kilometers from Jebel Dukhan, the highest point in Bahrain, and 40 kilometers from Manama, the nearest city.
Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa is the Princess consort of Bahrain as the first wife of the present King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the mother of the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics were held in Marrakesh, Morocco on July 13–July 17. The host stadium was Stade Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.
Awali is a small municipality located approximately in the centre of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island in the Persian Gulf. Founded in the 1930s by the Bahrain Petroleum Company, it is populated mostly by workers of various nationalities from around the world whose skills were needed in the setting up and running of the refinery at Sitrah. To its north are Bahrain's oil refinery and to its south are the oil wells and the desert area of Sakhir. It has a population of 1769 citizens.
Bahrain Island, also known as al-Awal Island and formerly as Bahrein, is the largest island within the archipelago of Bahrain, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting the majority of its population.
A variety of sports in Bahrain are popular and widespread. Association football is the most popular sport in the country. Other traditionally-popular sports include basketball, volleyball and handball. Sports such as horse racing, mixed martial arts and rugby union have gained popularity over the past few decades.
The Desert 400 was a V8 Supercar motor racing event held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Manama, Bahrain. It was held from 2006 to 2008 and in 2010.
The 2010 Desert 400 was the second event of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of February 25–27 on Bahrain International Circuit, in Manama, Bahrain. This was first time the event was held since 2008, and for the first time the V8 Supercars used the full Grand Prix Circuit, as used for the Bahrain Grand Prix, rather than the previously Paddock Circuit the Australian sedans used from 2006–2008.
Al Areen Wildlife Park is a nature reserve and zoo, located in Sakhir, Bahrain. It is one of five other protected areas in the country and it is the only designated protected area on land, in the country.
The wildlife of Bahrain is the flora and fauna of the archipelago of Bahrain, and is more varied than might be expected of this small group of islands in the Persian Gulf. Apart from a strip of the north and west of the main island, where crops such as potatoes are grown with irrigation, the land is arid. With a very hot dry summer, a mild winter, and brackish groundwater, the plants need adaptations in order to survive. Nevertheless, 196 species of higher plant have been recorded here, as well as about seventeen species of terrestrial mammals, many birds and reptiles, and a large number of migratory birds visit the islands in autumn and spring.
Leo Docherty is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aldershot since June 2017. Prior to being elected as an MP he served in the Scots Guards, before worked in publishing and for the Conservative Party. He is the author of Desert of Death (2007).
The Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay competition at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta was held on 28 August 2018 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. This event made its debut in 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Bahrain claimed the gold medal in this event, India and Kazakhstan took silver and bronze medals respectively.
