Bahrain

Bahrain (ⁱ/bɑːˈreɪn/; Arabic: البحرين‎  al-Baḥrayn), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain (Arabic: مملكة البحرين‎  Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn), is a small island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. It is an archipelago with Bahrain Island, the largest land mass, at 55 km (34 mi) long by 18 km (11 mi) wide. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway while Iran lies 200 km (124 mi) to the north across the Persian Gulf. The peninsula of Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain. The population in 2010 stood at 1,234,571, including 666,172 non-nationals.

Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilisation. It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to convert to Islam (AD 628). Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was occupied by the Portuguese in 1521, who in turn were expelled in 1602 by Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty under the Persian Empire. In 1783, the Bani Utbah clan captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur and has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim. In the late 1800s, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, Bahrain declared independence. Formerly a state, Bahrain was declared a Kingdom in 2002. Since early 2011, the country has experienced sustained protests and unrest inspired by the regional Arab Spring, particularly by the majority Shia population.

Bahrain Island

Bahrain Island (Arabic: جزيرة البحرين‎), also known as al-Awal Island and formerly as Bahrein, is the largest island within the archipelago of Bahrain, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting the majority of its population. Around most of the Island of Bahrain is a relatively shallow inlet of the Persian Gulf known as the Gulf of Bahrain. The seabed adjacent to Bahrain is rocky and, mainly off the northern part of the island, covered by extensive coral reefs. Most of the island is low-lying and barren desert. Outcroppings of limestone form low rolling hills, stubby cliffs, and shallow ravines. The limestone is covered by various densities of saline sand, capable of supporting only the hardiest desert vegetation such as chiefly thorn trees and scrubs. A 5 km (3.1 mi) wide fertile strip of land exists along the northern coast on which date, almond, fig, and pomegranate trees grow. The interior contains an escarpment that rises to 134 m (440 ft), the highest point on the island, to form the Mountain of Smoke, named as such due to the mists that often wreathe the summit. Most of the country's oil wells are situated in the vicinity of the mountain.

Island

An island /ˈaɪlənd/ or isle /ˈaɪl/ is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be called an eyot or ait, or a holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago, e.g. the Philippines.

An island may be described as such despite the presence of an artificial land bridge, for example Singapore and its causeway, or the various Dutch delta islands, such as IJsselmonde. Some places may even retain "island" in their names for historical reasons after being connected to a larger landmass by a wide land bridge, such as Coney Island or Coronado Island. Conversely, when a piece of land is separated from the mainland by a man-made canal, for example the Peloponnese by the Corinth Canal, it is generally not considered an island.

There are two main types of islands: continental islands and oceanic islands. There are also artificial islands.

Durrat Al Bahrain

Coordinates: 25°50′17″N 50°36′18″E / 25.83806°N 50.60500°E / 25.83806; 50.60500

Durrat Al Bahrain is the largest artificial island in Bahrain after the Amwaj Islands. The US$6 billion project will consist of a series of 15 large artificial islands, covering an area of over 20,000,000 m² (220,000,000 sq ft) once completed in mid-2015. It will comprise six atolls, five fish-shaped islands and two crescent-shaped islands.

The plans for the finished islands include five-star hotels, an 18-hole golf course, 12 bridges, and a marina. The marina will span three of the islands and will cover a land area of approximately 700,000 m² (7,500,000 sq ft) with a cost of about US$1.3 billion.

The marina is a joint venture between Durrat Khaleej Al Bahrain and Tameer, one of the GCC region’s leading developers. The marina development is the first of its type and size in the Middle East.

Work on the project was interrupted in February 2008 as more than 1,300 laborers downed tools in a dispute over pay. Workers who were based at a labor camp in the development site, went on strike demanding better salaries and complaining of poor living conditions. The strike was subsequently called off soon after.

Amwaj Islands

Coordinates: 26°17′28″N 50°39′55″E / 26.29111°N 50.66528°E / 26.29111; 50.66528

Amwaj Islands (Arabic: جزر أمواج‎; transliterated: Juzur Amwaj) are a group of man-made islands located in the Persian Gulf to the northeast of Bahrain, near the coast of Muharraq island. It covers roughly 2 790 000 m² (30 million square feet).

Amwaj Islands are a pioneering project in Bahrain, the first to offer 100% freehold land ownership to expatriates living in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It also increases the supply of waterfront property which is in low supply in this small island nation. With the completion of infrastructure such as electricity, roads, water, sewerage and telecoms, Amwaj recently became fit for residential use.

From an engineering perspective Amwaj introduced a number of new technologies to the region including geotubes for the reclamation phase of these islands, vacuum sewerage and fibre optic "Smart City" technology among others.

The Amwaj Islands were reclaimed from the relatively shallow seas to the northeast of Muharraq Island, which is the northernmost island in the Kingdom of Bahrain.The Islands contain residential, commercial (highrise) and hotel and retail buildings, as well as a 240 m diameter circular marina with over 140 berths.