Head of State
The Amir of Bahrain, His Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Official title
State of Bahrain
Geography
An archipelago of over 30 islands about halfway down the Gulf. Surface area 676 square kilometers.
Time zone
GMT +3, which means that Bahrain has day round contact with all of the world's business centers
Population
620,378
Religion
Islam is the state religion. Places of worship exist for Christians, Jews, Bahai's, Hindus, Buddhists and Parsees.
Capital
Manama
Languages
Arabic and English
People and customs
Rich heritage. Bahrain has a long tradition of association with other races, stable Government and a strong sense of national identity. With relics tracing the existence of civilization to 3,000 B.C., Bahrain is the historical focus of the region.
Young population. One of the few countries in the Gulf where nationals are in the majority, Bahrain is populated by young people, with almost half under the age of 20. The country's indigenous work force is fully conversant in English.
Relaxed, liberal and cosmopolitan
Lliving environment
Bahrain has a welcoming attitude to expatriate management and their families.
Climate
October to April average 15 - 20 C; summer temperatures hot and humid at 36C.
Currency
Freely convertible, the stable Bahraini Dinar is linked to the U.S. Dollar at US$1 - BD0.375.
Electricity
220 Volts, 50 cycles, AC throughout Bahrain
Weights and measures
Metric system
Medical facilities
Excellent public and private services at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
Commercial hours
Tend to vary, but 8:00 - 13:00 and 15:00 - 18:00 are common, Saturday to Wednesday plus half day on Thursday. Government offices are open from 7 am - 2:15 pm, Saturday through Wednesday.
Shopping hours
Typically from 8:30 - 19:30, with many shops closed from 13:00 - 15:30 for lunch. Friday is the weekly day of rest, but some shops are open on this day.
Banking hours
7:30 - 12:00 Saturday to Wednesday
7:30 - 11:00 Thursday
15:30 - 17:30 Saturday to Wednesday (for other branches)
Entry and visas
Transit visas for 72 hours or seven-day visit visas for conference and exhibition delegates, businessmen and dependants can be obtained at the port of entry or at Bahrain's embassies and consulates.
Tourist groups may also avail themselves of the seven-day visit visa, provided previous arrangements have been made with the Directorate of Tourism and Archaeology at the Ministry of Information and Cabinet Affairs or with hotels, travel agents or tourist organizers in Bahrain.
Unless visitors to Bahrain hold passports of the Gulf Cooperation Council/GCC states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), entry visas are required. Visas are available from all embassies and consulates.
Flight times to major world cities
Amsterdam 7 hours 50 minutes
Bangkok 6 hours 25 minutes
Colombo 4 hours 35 minutes
Hong Kong 8 hours
Johannesburg 10 hours 5 minutes
London 7 hours
Los Angles 15 hours
Manila 8 hours 40 minutes
Moscow 4 hours
New York 12 hours
Paris 7 hours 10 minutes
Singapore 7 hours 35 minutes
Sydney 15 hours
Flight times to major regional cities (approximate times for direct flights from Bahrain)
Abu Dhabi 1 hour
Cairo 2 hours 45 minutes
Delhi 3 hours
Dhahran 10 minutes
Doha 40 minutes
Dubai 1 hour
Jeddah 2 hours 10 minutes
Karachi 2 hours 30 minutes
Kuwait 1 hour
Muscat 1 hour 30 minutes
Riyadh 1 hour
Tehran 2 hours
Customs regulations
One bottle of spirits, half a pound of tobacco and 200 cigarettes are allowed duty-free.
Pornographic and obscene literature and pictures, arms and ammunitions, cultured pearls are all prohibited.
Bahrain Law
No personal or corporate taxation
100% foreign ownership possible
Exempt offshore section
Extensive opportunities for local partnership
Fast track company registration procedures in seven days
Straightforward customs procedures
No exchange control
A long and clearly established framework of commercial laws
Advanced telecommunications system
Bahrain's telecommunications system is among the most sophisticated in the world. Services provided by Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) range from video conferencing, 156 countries that can be phoned or faxed direct, leased circuits and database access. Mobile phones are available for hire.
Telecommunication charges. Among the lowest in the region.
The country's Internet network has the largest volume of subscribers per capita than in any Arab country. Nearly 1 in every 30 Bahrain residents is an Internet subscriber, with early 10% of the total population accessing Internet on a regular basis, i.e., through the workplace, school or cyber cafes.
Bahrain International Airport - Gulf's most modern airport terminal served by many of the world's leading airlines. Number of passengers that traveled through Bahrain International Airport in 1999: 4.46 million (Source: Ministry of Transportation)
Bahrain-Saudi Causeway: 25km Causeway linking Bahrain with Eastern province of Saudi Arabia
Top quality beach resorts, water sports and pleasure trips
Opportunities for unique customized excursions
Over the last five years, the volume of tourists in Bahrain has grown twenty fold: making the country the premier vacation center in the Gulf.
Bahrain Duty Free voted best in the world for a second time in three years --- a first in 13 years. The first time in 13 years that any airport in the world had won the coveted honor of Airport Retailer of the Year twice.
Important contact numbers to remember: (Please note Bahrain's country code is +973)
Ministry of Commerce, Directorate of External Commercial Relations.
Telephone 533538; Facsimile 536145
Bahrain Promotions and Marketing Board (BPMB).
Telephone 533886; Facsimile 531117
Ministry of Cabinet Affairs & Information, Directorate of Tourism.
Telephone 211199; Facsimile 682777
Ministry of Finance & National Economy, Directorate of Customs & Ports.
Telephone 725333 (Customs) 725555 (Ports); Facsimile 725534
Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs.
Telephone 685486; Facsimile 680600
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