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Long ruled by Arabs, the ancient land of Bahrain was an important trading center, dating all the way back to Roman times.
It's a (small in size) group of 33 islands located just off the eastern coastline of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. The largest island is Bahrain Island.
Modern causeways connect the four main islands, and all are connected to Saudi Arabia by the 16-mile-long King Fahd Causeway.
Similar to numerous other Arab states, Bahrain had a long relationship with the United Kingdom, until declaring its independence in 1971. It joined the United Nations that very year.
Most of the modern population is concentrated around Manama, the capital city, and much of that population (about 30%) are non-Bahraini immigrants.
This land (especially Bahrain Island) is primarily barren desert, with a limestone surface. Petroleum processing and refining, as well as international banking are the major industries.
Repressive heat and humidity are commonplace here, especially in summer, and most tourists arrive in the somewhat cooler months, November - February.
Read more about Bahrain here.
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