Bahrain

Bahrain, the smallest Arab state, is officially known as the Kingdom of Bahrain, and is an island in the Arabian Gulf. It is the fasted growing economy in the Arab world thanks to it's current oil boom. A Qater-Bahrian Friendship Bridge has been planned to link the two regions.

Bahrain has been inhabited since very early ancient times. It has been proposed that Bahrain is the site of the Garden of Eden. Due to its location near the Persian Gulf this region has ruled by several world powers including the Babylonians, Greeks, and eventually Arabs. Oil was discovered in the area in 1932 and brought rapid development of the region. British influence begin to rise in the region until after World War II when residents rioted to protest their (and the Jewish settlers) presence in the area. The country was declared a kingdom in 2002 and was formally considered a state.

• Official Site: Bahrain Center for Human Rights

• Official Site: Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

• Human Rights Watch: Bahrain

• Wikipedia: Bahrain Centre for Human Rights

• Wikipedia: Bahrain Human Rights Society

• U.S. Department of State: Bahrain Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

• Wikipedia: Geography of Bahrain

• GlobalSecurity.org: The Shia of Bahrain

• About.com: Religion in Bahrain

• <p>AsiaRooms.com Religion in Bahrain

• Just Landed: Bahrain Guide: Religion

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