Bahrain Island ( ar, جزيرة البحرين ''Jazīrah al-Baḥrayn''), also known as al-Awal Island and formerly as Bahrein, is the largest island within the archipelago of

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...

, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting the majority of its population.

Geography

Most of the island of Bahrain is in a relatively shallow inlet of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

known as the Gulf of Bahrain. The seabed adjacent to Bahrain is rocky and, mainly off the northern part of the island, covered by extensive coral reefs. Most of the island is low-lying and barren desert. Outcroppings of limestone form low rolling hills, stubby cliffs, and shallow ravines. The limestone is covered by various densities of saline sand, capable of supporting only the hardiest desert vegetation such as chiefly thorn trees and scrubs. A wide fertile strip of land exists along the northern coast on which date,

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genu ...

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

, and

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

trees grow. The interior contains an

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

that rises to , the highest point on the island, to form the

Mountain of Smoke The Mountain of Smoke ( ar, جبل الدخان, ) is a hill in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain. At above mean sea level, it is the country's highest point. The Mountain of Smoke is named as such because of the haze which often surrounds it o ...

, named as such due to the mists that often wreathe the summit. Most of the country's

oil well An oil well is a drillhole boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce only gas ma ...

s are situated in the vicinity of the mountain.

Climate

The climatic conditions of the area is arid. The average annual temperature in the area is 28 °C. The warmest month is August, when the average temperature is 38 °C and the coldest is January, with 18 °C. The average annual rainfall is 144 millimeters. The rainiest month is November, with an average of 38 mm of precipitation, and the driest is October, with 1 mm of precipitation.

Demography

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very d ...

, the capital of the kingdom of Bahrain, is located on the northeastern tip of the Island of Bahrain. The main port, Mina Salman, is also located on the island, as are the major

oil refining An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefi ...

facilities and commercial centers.

Administration

The island is split between 3 of the Bahrain's Governorates.

Transportation

Causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tr ...

s and

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

s connect Bahrain to adjacent islands and the mainland of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. The oldest causeway, originally constructed in 1929, links Bahrain to

Al Muharraq Muharraq ( ar, المحرق, al-Muḥarraq) is Bahrain's third largest city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2012 was 176,583. The city is located on Muharraq Island. Bahrain Int ...

, the third largest island. There are three

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tr ...

s connecting Muharraq Island with

on Bahrain Island: * Shaikh Hamad Bridge: From Muharraq City to

Diplomatic Area The Diplomatic Area (; transliterated: ''al-Mantiqah ad-Diblomasiyah'') is an area that is located within the Central Business District of Manama, the capital city of Bahrain, an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf. Constructed on reclaimed land ...

Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway Shaikh Isa Causeway (officially known as Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway, ar, جسر شيخ عيسى بن سلمان) is a causeway in the Kingdom of Bahrain connecting Busaiteen to the Diplomatic Area, near the Bahrain Bay area. Opened to the p ...

: From Muharraq City/

Busaiteen Busaiteen ( ar, البسيتين) is a small town in northern Bahrain. It is located on Muharraq Island, just north of Muharraq City. Etymology The town's name, "''Busaiteen''," pertains to the large number of orchards found in it. Education Bus ...

* Shaikh Khalifa Bridge: From

Hidd :''To be distinguished from Ras al Hadd (رأس الحد), a district with a famous turtle breeding beach in Oman'' Al Hidd ( ar, الحد; transliterated: Al-Ḥidd) is a town in Bahrain, located on a sand spit on the southeastern extremity of Muh ...

Juffair Juffair ( ar, الجفير) is a district situated in Manama, Bahrain. It was originally a separate village inhabited by Shia Muslims but it has been absorbed by the suburban expansion of Manama in the 20th century, and presently includes large ...

At its eastern shore is lying

Sitrah Sitra ( ar, سترة or , ''As-Sitra''), also known as Sitrah ( ar, Jazīrat Sitrah, script=Latn) or Sitra Island ( ar, Jazīrat as-Sitra, script=Latn), is an island in Bahrain. It lies south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. History ; ...

, site of the oil export terminal, which is linked to Bahrain by a bridge that spans the narrow channel separating the two islands. At its western shore, a causeway to the island of Umm an Nasan, continues on to the Saudi mainland town of

Al Khubar Khobar ( ar, ٱلْخُبَر, translit=al-Khobar) is a city and governorate in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 457,748 as of 2017, Khobar is part of the 'Triple ...

through the

King Fahd Causeway The King Fahd Causeway ( ar, جسر الملك فهد, Jisr al-Malik Fahd) is a 25 km (15.5 mi) long series of bridges and causeways connecting Khobar, Saudi Arabia and Al Jasra, Bahrain. Its five bridges rest on 536 concrete pylons, wi ...

. Umm an Nasan is the private property of the king and the site of his personal game preserve.

Gallery

File:Un-bahrain.png, Map 1 File:Bahrain, administrative divisions 2014 - de - colored.svg, Map Districts File:Muharraq and Manama.jpg, Muharraq in the foreground;

on Bahrain Island in the background File:Bahrain, astronaut photograph.jpg, Bahrain Island (center) seen from space.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahrain Island Islands of Bahrain