LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Bahrain
built 203 days ago
Bahrain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world; about 89% of the population lives in the two principal cities of Manama and Al Muharraq. Approximately 66% of the indigenous population is originally from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Bahrain currently has a sizeable foreign labor force (about 34% of the total population). The government's policies on naturalization remain controversial. In June 2002, the King issued a decree allowing citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to take up dual Bahraini nationality. Opposition political groups charge that the government is granting citizenship to foreign nationals who have served in the Bahraini armed forces and security services to alter the demographic balance of the country, which is primarily Shi'a.
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Bahrain is a regional financial hub, and both foreign and local individuals and companies have access to credit on market terms. In August 2006, there were 25 commercial banks, but the financial sector is dominated by some 50 offshore banking units that use Bahrain as a base from which to conduct operations in other countries. Overall, there were 368 financial institutions in 2006. The central bank introduced new business classification rules in 2006, aiming to make the financial framework more flexible. The International Monetary Fund has praised Bahrain's financial supervision as effective and its regulation as modern and comprehensive. As of 2006, the stock exchange listed 52 companies, with GCC nationals allowed to invest freely and foreigners allowed to own up to 49 percent, and the growing insurance sector had 12 national and eight foreign insurance companies engaged in direct business.
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Bahrain has a reputation as one of the most liberal Persian Gulf states. The country has a large expatriate population, giving the urban centers a highly cosmopolitan atmosphere. Islam is practiced by approximately 85 percent of the population, although other religions, primarily Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity, enjoy freedom of worship as well. Arabic is the official language and English is compulsory in schools and widely used for business purposes.
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Bahrain has environmental issues which include the water and soil. There is damage to the coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations. There is a lack of freshwater sources, so groundwater and seawater are the only sources for the country’s water needs. The country has desertification, resulting from the degradation of its limited arable land. Bahrain ... experiences periods of drought and dust storms.
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The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) numbers about 12,000 personnel and consists of army, navy, air force, air defense, and royal guard units. The public security forces and the coast guard are separate from the BDF and report to the Ministry of the Interior. Bahrain ... has a national guard that consists of about 1,200 personnel. Bahrain's defense spending since 1999 has been steady. The government spends around $630 million annually on the military, about 20% of current expenditures. The parliamentary process has produced spirited debate over government spending, particularly defense spending, but no actual reductions.
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The modern history of Bahrain begins with Great Britain exploring the area, trying to keep Iran from taking more land. The British gave support to the Al-Khalifa family, who made a power base in the island and allied with the British to keep the island from Iran. The British got free passage to the Persian Gulf through this agreement. In November of 1957, the Iranian parliament declared that Bahrain was the Fourteenth Province of Iran. Later the British would become involved in the politics of Bahrain by choosing an Emir of the island. Iran and Britain later agreed that the United Nations Secretary General would judge the political situation in Bahrain.
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Bahrain