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Bahrein -
(Asia)
(Print)
Information about Bahrein
Capital |
Manamah |
Area |
707 square kilometres |
Population |
620000 |
Religions |
"ShiŽa Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim 24,9%, expatriate Christians, Hindus and other 0,1%" |
Christian (%) |
0.10 |
Protestant (%) |
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Reformed (%) |
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Bahrain is an archipelago consisting of 33 islands, only 5 of them inhabited. Most of the population of Bahrain is concentrated in the two principal cities, Manama and Al Muharraq. The indigenous people, representing 63% of the population, are from the Arabian Peninsula and Persia. The most numerous minorities are South and East Asians and Europeans.
Archeological artifacts reveal the pre-Islamic existence of Nestorian Christianity in the archipelago as well as along the coast of southeastern Arabia. In fact, prior to Islam, Bahrain was the residence of a Nestorian Bishop, and one of its villages still bears a name which means “monastery” in Arabic.
Islam is the dominant religion. Though Shiite Muslims make up more than two-thirds of the indigenous population, Sunni Islam is the prevailing belief held by those in the government, military, and corporate sectors. RCath and Prot churches, as well as a tiny indigenous Jewish community, also exist in Bahrain.
Churches
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