Meaning ‘two seas’ in Arabic, Bahrain is an archipelago of 30 islands in the Persian Gulf and one of the earliest countries to convert to Islam. The 4000 years of settlement are now exposed in rich archeological sites around the island, which is an amalgamation of historical remains and modernization illustrated through high-profile building projects.
Islam is the religion of majority in Bahrain. About 30% of the population, which comprises of expatriates, is represented by other religions. Arabic is the official language of Bahrain, but English is widely spoken. Among the non-Bahraini population, many people speak Farsi and Urdu as well.
Broadly speaking, the year may be divided into two main climatic periods from June to September and from December to March, separated by two transitional periods April/May and October/November. The summer period – from April to September, is one of mainly cloudless skies and persistently high temperatures with an average of 39ºC and highs of 47ºC during the day in July and August. The winter period, starting from October sees an abrupt change when first incursions of cool air from the northwest occur and replace the quiet conditions of late summer.