Bahrain - Travel guide Hotel reservation for holidays in Bahrain -

Ooaj Travel Guide, tourism, hotel reservation, residence, plane, cheap pension for you holidays in bahrain

Free Travel guide Ooaj.com A free travel guide for holidays. Hotels in bahrain, Bed and Breakfast!

Flag

Quick Facts
Capital	Manama
Government	constitutional herary monarchy
Currency	Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Area	total: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 665 sq km
Population	656,397 note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)
Language	Arabic, English, Persian (Farsi), Urdu
Religion	Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a country in the Middle East. It is an archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia.

Map of Bahrain

Table of contents

bahrain Travel Guide :

5.1 By plane
5.2 By train
5.3 By car
5.4 By bus
5.5 By boat

Regions

Cities

Manama - Capital

Ports and harbors: Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Other destinations

Understand

Bahrain is the smallest of the independent Persian Gulf states, and has often had to walk a diplomatic tightrope in relation to its larger neighbours.
The country has few oil reserves, however it has established itself as a hub for refining as well as international banking, while also achieving a liberal (by Gulf standards at least) political system.

Electricity

Officially 220V 50Hz. Most outlets are the British standard BS-1363 type. Generally speaking, U.S. and Canadian travelers should pack adapters for these outlets if they plan to use North American electrical equipment in Bahrain.

Get in

Visas are issued at all border stations and airports to all citizens and residents of the GCC for a cost of BD2.

Citizens of most western countries can obtain two-week tourist visas upon entry for BD 5.

By plane

Bahrain is served by a single modern international airport (Code BAH) located outside the capital. The departure area features a large duty-free shopping arcade and a 'Transotel' offering beds and showers (for a fee) to those awaiting flights. The airport is the main base for Gulf Air and has excellent connections throughout the region and London.

The departure tax is BD3.

By train

There is no train service to or in Bahrain.

By car

A paved causeway links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

By bus

Saudi-Bahraini Transport Company (Sabatco) has a regular bus service from Dahran to Central Manama

By boat

Get around

Taxi's in Manama are negotiable in price. They will ask for as much as 15 dinar ($30-$40 US) but you should not pay more than 3 dinar for a ride anywhere in the city. Hard negotiation will be necessary to accomplish this.

There are also public buses that run to many parts of the island. Bus fares are low, but understanding the system can be very confusing for visitors, due to difficulties in obtaining bus schedules and maps.

Talk

Languages: Arabic, English, Persian (Farsi), Urdu

Buy

The Bahraini Dinar is pegged at one to ten with the Saudi Riyal to facilitate tourism. Both nation's bank-notes are accepted in Bahrain. Since the Riyal is pegged to the US Dollar, we can say the Dinar is also linked to the greenback.

One Dinar is equal to ten Saudi Riyals or to 2.267 U.S. Dollars. A U.S. Dollar is equal to 0.375 Bahraini Dinars.

Eat

Where food is concerned, a full spectrum of price ranges and cuisines can be found in Bahrain.

For food in the lower price range, the best places to go are the areas around Exhibition Avenue and Adlyia, as well as parts of Manama and the Souq. It should be noted that in Bahrain, low-prices attatched to food do not necessarily denote quality or taste, as some of the tastiest meals on the island can be had for under a Dinar. Of special note are "Habara Snacks & Fish," "Century Restaurant," and the somewhat pricier "Al-Abraaj." American fast food franchises such as Burger King and McDonalds are ubiquitous as well.

Western (mostly American) style-foods and franchises can be found around the malls and in the city center, offering food for upper mid-range prices. Restaurants carrying international foods can be found in these areas as well.

Higher priced food can end up running quite a bill in Bahrain, though the taste is very often worth it. Most upscale hotels have several restaurants, allowing you to sample things from all over the world. Of special mention are: "The Blue Elephant," a beautiful Thai restaurant near Seef Mall. "Lanterns," and Indian restaurant with great food and lovely decor next to Burgerland Roundabout. "Zahle," a tasty Lebanese place with daily buffets and live entertainment. And "Trader Vic's," a polynesian dining/drinking experience, located on the grounds of the Ritz Carlton.

Drink

Bahrain serves as a major tourist destination for Saudis and expatriates who work in Saudi Arabia. Many of them come to Bahrain for a drink (which is illegal in Saudi Arabia) or prostitution (which is illegal in both countries). Much of this traffic comes across the causeway on Wednesday night (the start of the Saudi weekend) and returns to work before Saturday morning.

Bars, pubs and clubs are plentiful and market themselves to these visitors. At least some venues encourage a segregation between Westerners and Arabs. Most places are at least somewhat mixed.

Along Exhibition Avenue is the local Hard Rock Cafe franchise, and nearby is an expatriate sports pub called Warbler's. Technically this is a private club, but the bouncers at the door seem more interested in keeping Arabs out than in checking dues cards.

The pricey Gulf Hotel offers a number of restaurants, and a mock-British pub, The Sherlock Holmes.

The former Holiday Inn (now rebranded as the Crowne Plaza) has a nice seafood restaurant as well a more general menu at Harvesters. In the evenings, this venue offers a better-than-average Filipino band. Also at this location is the Gold Club Arabic night club featuring Russian girls doing their interpretation of traditional belly dancing.

The Al Bustan Hotel offers two noteworthy attractions, the largest Irish pub in the city (J.J.'s) and a showroom with perhaps the best Filipino band doing covers of American rock & roll.

Sleep

Nearly all of the hotels in Manama are inexpensive when compared to comparable US hotels. An excellent room at the Gulf Hotel (an extremely old and nice hotel in the area) will cost approximately 30 Dinar (Less than $100 US). Prices in the area are depressed as a result of the large number of hotels competing for clients. Many of the hotels in the city are serviced with prostitutes and cabarets. If you do not want to encounter this it is imperative that you stay in a higher class hotel. Several 'hotels' in the area are little more than brothels (ie. The SeaShell Hotel). Most if not all of the hotels offer a discount for military personnel.

Learn

Mostly public schools, but enough private schools to serve majority of overseas. Also many private universities and Bahrain University located in Sukheer next to Bahrain International Circuit.

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

External links

The rest of this article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and integrate it into the article above.

Geography

Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E
Area: total: 665 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 665 sq km
Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined

Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls

Land use: arable land: 4.35%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 91.3% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms

Environment - current issues: desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

People

Population: 656,397
note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.2% (male 97,022; female 94,605)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 261,919; female 182,727)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 10,230; female 9,894) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.67% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 19.53 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 3.95 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 mas)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 mas)/female
15-64 years: 1.43 mas)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 mas)/female
total population: 1.29 mas)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.47 years
female: 75.96 years (2002 est.)
male: 71.05 years

Total fertility rate: 2.75 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini

Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%

Religions: Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.5%
male: 91.6%
female: 84.2% (2002 est.)

Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn

Government type: constitutional herary monarchy

Administrative divisions: 12 municipalities (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama

Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection

Constitution: adopted late December 2000; Bahrani voters approved on 13-14 February 2001 a referendum on legislative changes (revised constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary)

Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since NA 1971)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is herary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members elected by restricted vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next election to be held NA 2006)
note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14 February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25 December 2002
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - independents 21, Sunni Islamists 9, other 10

Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited but politically oriented nongovernment organizations are allowed

Political pressure groups and leaders: Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97, demanding the return of an elected National Assembly and an end to unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Khalifa bin Ali bin Rashid AL KHALIFA
chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: 1 (202) 362-2192
telephone: 1 (202) 342-0741

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN
embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 321, Zinj District, Manama
mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama
telephone: 973 273-300
FAX: 973 272-594

Flag description: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview: In Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Bahrain is dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil revenue granted as aid. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.4 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $13,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 35%
services: 64% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 295,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: industry, commerce, and service 79%, government 20%, agriculture 1% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (2002 est.)

Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 5.765 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 5,361.45 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

Exports: $5.5 billion (2001)

Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Exports - partners: India 8.4%, US 3.9%, Saudi Arabia 3.4%, Japan 2.8%, South Korea 2.1% (2000)

Imports: $4.5 billion (2001)

Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 28.7%, US 12.5%, UK 6.6%, France 6%, Japan 4% (2000)

Debt - external: $2.8 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $48.4 million (1995) (1995)

Currency: Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Currency code: BHD

Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.3760 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 152,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 58,543 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 338,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (1997)

Televisions: 275,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .bh

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 140,200 (2002)

Transportation

Pipelines: crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km

Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 270,784 GRT/384,561 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, container 2, includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Kuwait 1 (2002 est.)

Airports: 4 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

Military

Military branches: Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF) comprising Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Police Force, Amiri Guards, National Guard

Biggest country to travel:	Biggest cities to travel:	Islands in the top travel 40:	World Travel guide	Random travel link:
Nigeria South Korea Nigeria Philippines	Manila in Philippines Paris in France New York in USA Tehran in Iran	San_Juan Great_Barrier Zanzibar Oahu Ionian_Islands	Guadeloupe Tunisia Gaza_Strip Bulgaria Albania	Edinburgh United_States_of_America Greece Greece Vietnam