Source: Wikipedia Independence from the United Kingdom : Area : Population : GDP (PPP) estimate : HDI (2003): 0.846 (high) (43rd) Currency: Bahraini Dinar (BHD) Time zone: (UTC+3) Internet TLD: .bh Calling code: +973 Bahrain , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain (Arabic: مملكة البحرين ), is a borderless island nation in the Persian Gulf (Southwest Asia/Middle East, Asia ). Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway (officially opened on November 25, 1986 ), and Qatar is to the south across the Persian Gulf . The Qatar–Bahrain Friendship Bridge , currently being planned, will link Bahrain to Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world. Bahrain is the smallest, in terms of population, Arab nation in the world, and the smallest Arab member of the United Nations. It is also the least populous country in mainland Asia (but not of Asia overall, because Maldives and Brunei are smaller). |