Bahrain is an archipelago lying between the east coast of Saudi Arabia and the Qatar Peninsula. Made up of some thirty-six islands—the biggest of which is Bahrain Island, where the capital of Manama is located—Bahrain's total area is 706 square kilometers (273 square miles). Bahrain has a population of 724,000, and 85 percent of the residents live in cities. Foreigners make up one-third of the population and more than half of the labor force. Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni Muslim family even though its population is predominantly Shia Muslim. Although most of Bahrain is desert, some areas in the north are cultivable.

Bahrain remained under Portuguese control in the 1500s and Persian rule in the 1600s. In 1783 Ahmed Bin Mohammed al-Khalifa (d. 1796)—known as Ahmad bin Mohammed al-Fateh (the conqueror)—invaded Bahrain and brought it under Arab control. With al-Khalifa's rule, the country became a British protectorate. It remained...