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PHP Framework
Web application MVC framework for PHP4 and PHP5. Event driven, component based, AJAX compatible. |
| Overview | People | Geography | Economy | Government | Communications | Transport | Military | Map |
| Country | Bahrain |
| Flag |  |
| Capital | name: Manama geographic coordinates: 26 13 N, 50 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Population | 708,573 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2007 est.) |
| GMT | +3 |
| Location | Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia see map |
| Area | total: 665 sq km land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Ethnic groups | Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census) |
| Religions | Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census) |
| Languages | Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu |
| Government type | constitutional monarchy |
| National holiday | National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection |
| Constitution | adopted 14 February 2002 |
| Legal system | based on Islamic law and English common law |
| Background | In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shi'a community and Shi'a political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shi'a political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shi'a discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence. |
| Internet country code | .bh |
