Bahrain Passport

[Country Name] The Kingdom of Bahrain

【 Area 】 786 square kilometers

The population is 1.57 million, with foreigners accounting for 55%.

85% of residents believe in Islam, with Shia accounting for 70% and Sunni accounting for 30%.

[Official language] Arabic, commonly used English.

【 Capital 】 Manama, with a population of 680000.

National Day: December 16th

[Head of State] King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ascended to the Emir's throne on March 6, 1999, and was renamed King on February 14, 2002.

【 Overview 】 Located in the southwestern part of the Persian Gulf, between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, it is connected to Saudi Arabia by a sea crossing bridge. It belongs to a tropical desert climate, with hot and humid summers, and an average temperature of 36 ℃ from July to September. There is rainfall during the cool winter season, with an average temperature of 10 ℃ -20 ℃ from December to February of the following year. At other times (March to May, October to November), the temperature ranges from 20 ℃ to 30 ℃. The annual average precipitation is 71 millimeters.

Cities were built as early as 3000 BC. The Phoenicians arrived here in 1000 BC. In the 7th century AD, it became part of the Arab Empire and was under the jurisdiction of Basra Province. It was occupied by the Portuguese from 1507 to 1602. From 1602 to 1782, it was under the rule of the Persian Empire. Declared independence in 1783. In 1820, Britain invaded Bahrain and forced it to sign the "Persian Gulf Peace Treaty". In 1880, it became a British protectorate. In March 1971, Britain announced that all treaties it had signed with the Persian Gulf emirates would terminate at the end of the same year. On August 15, 1971, Bahrain declared independence and established the State of Bahrain. In February 2002, the country's name was changed to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

A hereditary monarchy kingdom that prohibits political party activities. The head of state is hereditary from the Khalifa family and holds political, economic, and military power. On March 6, 1999, Hamad succeeded as Emir and was renamed King on February 14, 2002.

The first constitution after independence was promulgated on June 2, 1973 and came into effect in December of the same year. In February 2001, Bahrain held a national vote and passed the National Charter with 98.4% support. On February 14, 2002, a new constitution was promulgated, which mainly changed the country's name to the Kingdom of Bahrain; Emir changed his name to King; Establish a bicameral parliament, judicial independence, etc.

Bahrain elected a Constituent Assembly in 1972, established a National Assembly in 1973, and dissolved the National Assembly in 1975. For a considerable period of time thereafter, Bahrain did not have a parliamentary institution. In October 2002, according to the new constitution, Bahrain established a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the House of Representatives and the Consultative Assembly. Among them, 40 members of the House of Representatives are directly elected by the people, and the Speaker of the House is elected by the members. The members of the Consultative Conference are appointed by the king, totaling 40 people, and the chairman is also appointed by the king. Members of both houses serve a term of 4 years and are eligible for re-election. In 2012, Bahrain amended its constitution to expand the powers of the National Assembly. The current National Assembly will be elected in December 2022. Ahmed bin Salman Al Musalam was elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly and the House of Representatives, with Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh serving as the Chairman of the Consultative Conference.

The current cabinet was established in November 2022 with a total of 25 members, including Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, and Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani.

The country is divided into four provinces: Capital Province, Muharraq Province, Northern Province, and Southern Province.

[Important Person] King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa: Born on January 28, 1950 in Manama. I have studied at military academies in the UK and the US, and participated in the establishment of the Bahrain Defense Force. He was crowned Crown Prince in 1964. After Bahrain's independence in 1971, he served as the Minister of Defense. On March 6, 1999, he succeeded to the throne and became the 11th Emir of Bahrain, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. On February 14, 2002, it was renamed as the King. He visited China in September 2013 and May 2024.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa: The eldest son of King Hamad. Born on October 21, 1969. Obtained a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from American University in 1992. In 1994, he obtained a Master's degree in History and Philosophy from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. In 1995, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of National Defense. On March 9, 1999, he was appointed as the Crown Prince and on March 22 of the same year, he was appointed as the Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defense Forces. Appointed as the Supreme Deputy Commander of the Bahraini Armed Forces in January 2008. Starting from March 11, 2013, he concurrently served as the First Deputy Prime Minister. In November 2020, after the death of former Prime Minister Khalifa, King Hamad appointed Salman as Prime Minister.

The country that first extracted oil in the Gulf region pursued a policy of free economy and joined the World Trade Organization in 1995. Pay attention to diversified economic development, actively adjust industrial structure and expand opening-up to the outside world. The aluminum industry is relatively developed, and aluminum products are important export products. The main economic data for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 36.089 billion US dollars

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 22900 US dollars

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.4%

Currency Name: Bahraini Dinar (BD)

Exchange rate: 1 USD ≈ 0.38 Dinar

【 Resources 】 Proven oil reserves of 17 million tons and natural gas reserves of 72 million tons.

Industry mainly includes oil and gas extraction, refining, aluminum refining, ship maintenance, etc.

The arable land area is 1600 hectares. The total labor force is approximately 716400. The main agricultural products include grain crops, fruits, vegetables, poultry, seafood, etc.

There is no railway, and major cities are connected by a modern road network. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are connected by the 25 kilometer Fahd King Bridge. The main ports include Khalifa Port, Salman Port, etc.

There are four airports within Bahrain.

The financial industry is well-developed, with nearly 400 financial service institutions worldwide having offices in Bahrain.

The main exports of foreign trade are petroleum products, natural gas, and aluminum ingots. The main trading partners are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, India, etc. In 2023, Bahrain's total foreign trade amounted to 46.72 billion US dollars, of which 24.85 billion US dollars were exports and 21.87 billion US dollars were imports.

【 People's Life 】 Implement free medical care, with a 100% coverage rate of residents' health services and an average life expectancy of 78.9 years. There are 9 public hospitals, 14 private hospitals, and nearly 100 medical centers.

[Military] Implement the unified defense policy of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The king is the highest commander of the armed forces, and the crown prince is the highest deputy commander of the armed forces. Implement a voluntary military service system. The total strength of the armed forces is 31000 people.

Education: Implementing free education and a nine-year compulsory secondary education system, it is the earliest Gulf Arab country to have a girls' school. In terms of higher education, Bahrain has four public universities including Bahrain University and the Arabian Gulf University (funded by the Gulf Cooperation Council), as well as 15 private universities including Al Ahlya University and the University of Applied Sciences. Bahrain has an illiteracy rate of 2.4% and an education rate of 100% for young people aged 15-24, making it one of the countries with higher levels of education in the Middle East Gulf region.

There are a total of 13 newspapers in China, including the Gulf News (Awen), Daily News (Awen), Intermediate News (Awen), Motherland News (Awen), Gulf Daily (English), Daily Forum News (English), etc.

Bahrain Radio began broadcasting in 1955, broadcasting in Arabic and English.

Bahrain Television has three channels, including two Arabic channels and one English channel.

Adhering to a moderate and pragmatic foreign policy, advocating for strengthening unity and cooperation among Gulf countries. It is a member state of international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the League of Arab States, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. We have established diplomatic relations with over 170 countries. In June 2017, Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. In April 2023, Bahrain will resume diplomatic relations with Qatar. In September 2020, it established diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming the fifth Arab country in history (the first four being Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania, and the United Arab Emirates) to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. In November 2010, it became a member state of CICA, and in September 2022, it became a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.