Official Name

State of Bahrain

Head of State:

His Highness the King, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

Capital:

Manama

Land Area:

709.5 square kilometers

Population:

1997 estimates:
Bahraini - 380,000 (61%), Non-Bahraini - 240,400 (39%), Total - 620,400.

Climate:

Summer:
June-September, very hot and humid (36°C - 45°C). Winter:
December to February, cool or mild with occasional rain (10°C - 20°C). 
Remaining months:
March to May and October to November, warm with occasional pleasant breezes (20°C - 30°C). 

Time:

Three hours ahead of GMT (+3GMT)

Language:

Arabic is the official language although English is widely used for business purposes. However Persian and Urdu are spoken as well.

Religion:

Islam is practiced by 85% of the population.  However freedom of worship is permitted to other faiths including Hinduism, Parseeism, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity.

Currency:

Bahraini Dinar (BD), constituted of 1000 fils.  Fixed against the US dollar at 1US$ = BD0.3768

Weekly Holiday:

Thursday and Friday.
Many company offices close half day on Thursday or all day on Saturday.

Water:

Tap water is clean and free from contamination.  However it can be hard and for drinking purposes "sweet water" is recommended.