Bahrain: The Crux of Antiquity and Modernity

Bahrain: The Crux of Antiquity and Modernity from Jon Schubert

works cited

Works Cited

"Bahrain and the Arab Spring." Issue #92. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://isreview.org/issue/82/bahrain-and-arab-spring>.

"Bahrain." Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI, Corruption. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.heritage.org/index/country/bahrain>.

"Geography and Map of Bahrain." Geography and Map of Bahrain. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcbahrain.htm>.

"Geography of Bahrain." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Geography_of_Bahrain.html>.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Bahrain#Climate>.

location, geography, economy, environment, long term causes

Bahrain

Location: Bahrain is located off the North East coast of Saudi Arabia.

Capitol: Manama

Population: 1.2 million

Geography:

• It is one of the bigger Islands in the Persian Gulf.
• It is part of a group of 33 islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia, and not far from Kuwait.

Environment:

• Low-lying desert plain rises to steep cliffs of rock (escarpments) in the center of the island.
• averages 4 inches of rain a year.
• No rivers or streams on island.
• Two seasons:
• hot summers (116 degrees farenheight)
• mild winters (around 60 degrees farenheight).

Economics:

• Biggest export:
• Petroleum
• Aluminium
• finance and construction materials
• Freest economy in the Middle east.

• GDP: $34 billion
• Islamic banking is very important to the Bahrain economy.
• "Bahrain levies no taxes on individual income. Oil companies must pay a 46 percent corporate income tax, but most other businesses are exempt from taxation. Other taxes include a stamp tax and a tax on property purchases. Government revenue equals 3.1 percent of GDP, and expenditures have climbed to 30.9 percent of domestic income, cushioned by energy exports. Public debt remains below 35 percent of GDP" (Heritage.org).

Long term causes of Arab Spring:  

• The state was turned into a Kingdom.
• 2002: A new constitution was put in place that basically gave the parliament and the people no power.
• The King had all the power.
• People wanted a voice.