Governorates of Bahrain محافظات البحرين (Arabic) | |
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Category | Unitary state |
Location | Kingdom of Bahrain |
Number | 4 Governorates |
Populations | 268,106 (Muharraq Governorate) – 534,939 (Capital Governorate) |
Areas | 30.39 sq mi (78.71 km2) (Capital Governorate) – 188.75 sq mi (488.85 km2) (Southern Governorate) |
Government |
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Subdivisions |
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The Kingdom of Bahrain is divided into four governorates: the Capital, Northern, Southern and Muharraq. The Central Governorate was abolished in September 2014. [1]
Each governorate is governed by a governor, appointed by the prime minister, and has its own municipality council, with separate elections for them. The first municipal elections in Bahrain held after independence in 1971, was held in conjunction with the 2002 Bahraini general election. [2] The most recent was held in conjunction with the 2022 Bahraini general election.
The governorates are the Northern Governorate, Southern Governorate, Muharraq Governorate, and Capital Governorate: [3]
Map | Governorates |
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1 – Capital Governorate | |
2 – Muharraq Governorate | |
3 – Northern Governorate | |
4 – Southern Governorate |
Each governorate is divided into a varying number of constituencies for the election of the country's Council of Representatives. Elections are held in these constituencies every four years, with each constituency electing one member. Only Bahraini citizens are entitled to stand for and to vote at elections.
The first municipality in Bahrain was the eight-member Manama municipality which was established in July 1919. [4] [5] Members of the municipality were elected annually; the municipality was said to have been the first municipality to be established in the Arab world. [4] The municipality was in charge of cleaning roads and renting buildings to tenants and shops. By 1929, it undertook road expansions as well as opening markets and slaughterhouses. [4] [5] In 1958, the municipality started water purification projects. [4] In 1960, Bahrain comprised four municipalities: Manama, Hidd, Al Muharraq, and Riffa. [6] Over the next 30 years, the 4 municipalities were divided into 12 municipalities as settlements such as Hamad Town and Isa Town grew. [6] These municipalities were administered from Manama under a central municipal council whose members are appointed by the king. [7]
The first municipal elections to be held in Bahrain after independence in 1971, was in 2002. [8] The municipalities were:
Map | Former Municipality |
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1. Al Hidd | |
2. Manama | |
3. Western Region | |
4. Central Region | |
5. Northern Region | |
6. Muharraq | |
7. Rifa and Southern Region | |
8. Jidd Haffs | |
9. Hamad Town (not shown) | |
10. Isa Town | |
11. Hawar Islands | |
12. Sitra |
After 3 July 2002, Bahrain was split into five administrative governorates, each of which has its own governor. [9] These governorates were abolished in September 2014. These governorates were:
Map | Former Governorates |
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1. Capital Governorate | |
2. Central Governorate | |
3. Muharraq Governorate | |
4. Northern Governorate | |
5. Southern Governorate |
Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population. After periods of Portuguese and Persian control and a short invasion from the ruling dynasty of Saudi Arabia, followed by a longer invasion by Oman, Bahrain established itself as an independent nation in 1971 following a period of British hegemony.
The demographics of the population of Bahrain includes population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Politics of Bahrain has since 2002 taken place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy where the government is appointed by the King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The head of the government since 2020 is Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who became Prime Minister following the death of Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and who also serves as Deputy Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force. The parliament is a bicameral legislature, with the Council of Representatives elected by universal suffrage, and the Consultative Council appointed directly by the king.
The Capital Governorate is one of the four governorates of Bahrain. The governorate includes Manama, the capital of Bahrain. It is the most populous administrative region in the country, with a population of over half million people in 2020.
Isa Town is a middle class town located in Bahrain, in the north central part of the country.
Muharraq is Bahrain's third most populous city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2020 was 263,373.
Bahrain has had two constitutions in its modern history. The first one was promulgated in 1973, and the second one in 2002.
Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Ibrahim is a Bahraini Islamist politician and a member of the Al-Menbar Islamic Society in Bahrain. He was an MP in the lower house of the Bahraini parliament, having been elected in the 2002 Bahrain parliamentary elections representing a constituency from the Northern Governorate. Khalid is a known outspoken critic of the Bahraini government over conservative issues such as the selling of alcohol.
Al-Muharraq Sports Club is a professional football club based in Muharraq, Bahrain. Founded in 1928, it is one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in Bahrain. The club has won numerous domestic and regional titles, including 34 Bahraini Premier League titles and 1 GCC Champions League title. Al-Muharraq Sports Club is known for its passionate fanbase and its rivalry with Al-Ahli Club, which is considered one of the biggest in Bahraini football.
Al-Ahli Club of Manama is a Bahraini sports club based in the capital city of Manama. Their men's football section plays in the Bahraini Premier League, the top division of domestic football competitions. The club also fields players in other sports such as basketball, handball and volleyball. Their home stadium is Al Ahli Stadium, although like all other teams in Bahrain they mainly play at Bahrain National Stadium.
Women candidates of the 2006 Bahrain election, which took place on the November 25, 2006 were reported to have received numerous threats from Islamic salafist and other factions to prevent them taking part. In all, eighteen female candidates of various political stances and views took part after recent changes to the political system in 2001 allowed women to not only become candidates, but also gave them the right to vote.
The Bahraini Premier League, also known as the Zain Basketball League, is a professional basketball league in Bahrain. The league consists of 13 teams.
The cinema of Bahrain is small as its lacks support from the government and the private sector. There are many short films produced by individual filmmakers, and about five feature films in Bahrain's history.
The Bahraini FA Cup is a Bahrain knockout tournament in men's football.
Halat Nuaim-Seltah is a Bahraini island. It is located off the coast of Muharraq island, near the town of Hidd. It lies 5 km (3.1 mi) east of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bahrain:
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.
The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for law enforcement and public safety in Bahrain. The headquarters of the ministry is the Diwan Fort in Manama, colloquially referred to as "al-gal'aa".
Tashan (Arabic:طشان) is a village located in the Kingdom of Bahrain, on the western outskirts of the capital city Manama. It is a village adjacent to Bilad Al Qadeem but significantly smaller.
General elections were held in Bahrain in November and December 2018 to elect the 40 members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was on Saturday, 24 November, with a second round in 31 constituencies on Saturday, 1 December. A municipal poll coincided with the parliamentary vote.