Bahrain , [ a ] officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , [ b ] is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf , and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands , centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass.
Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia , to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population of Bahrain is 1,, as of 14 May , based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom , are Bahraini nationals. According to archeologist Geoffrey Bibby, Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization.
In the late s, following successive treaties with the British , Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. Formerly an emirate , Bahrain was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in , and Article 2 of the newly adopted constitution made Sharia a principal source for legislation. In , the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring.
Bahrain developed one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf , [ 20 ] the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors; [ 21 ] many of the world's largest financial institutions have a presence in the country's capital. It is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy.
Bahrain is the dual form of Arabic word Bahr meaning literally " sea " , so al-Bahrayn originally means literally "the two seas ".
