Bahrain, officially the kingdom of Bahrain, is an island nation in West Asia that sits in the Persian Gulf. It’s composed of both natural and man-made islands, which gives you a chance to talk about how man-made islands are made (this video talks about islands in Dubai, but the process is the same, jump to 2:53 if you want to skip the introduction).
Bahrain Basics
Bahrain is an archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and 33 constructed islands. It sits in the Persian Gulf between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and is connected to Saudi Arabia by a bridge.
Bahrain Island is the largest island in the country, making up about 88 percent of its land mass. More than 1.5 million people live in Bahrain, which has an area of 290 square miles, or 760 square kilometers. The capital and largest city is Manama.
The country became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in the late 1800s and gained independence in 1971.
Bahrain literally means “the two seas” in Arabic but it’s meant to mean more like “belonging to the sea.”
Residents of Bahrain are about 53 percent Arabs and 43 percent Asians, and almost 70 percent of Bahraini practice Islam, which is the state religion.
Bahrain was the location of Dilmun, an ancient independent kingdom known as a trading center and thought by some to be the location of/inspiration for the Garden of Eden.
Bahrain National Symbols
The Bahraini flag has a band of white on the left and red on the right separated by a jagged edge of triangles. This makes five white triangles that symbolize the five pillars of Islam, while the red color represents the blood of the martyrs and white represents peace. The same design flipped on its side is part of the nation’s coat of arms.
The national anthem is “Baḥraynunā,” or “Our Bahrain,” which was originally an instrumental song. Lyrics were added in 1985 and updated when the nation became a kingdom in 2002.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNQQX1L_2QM?si=JkmNl7jFg5myy4xy]
The national tree is the date palm (which, yes, is where dates come from) and the national bird is the bulbul. The national animal is the Arabian oryx, a medium-sized antelope declared extinct in the wild but that has been preserved thanks in part to the efforts of the UAE.
Bahrain Activities for Kids
Check out Qal’at al-Bahrain, the ancient harbor and capital of Dilmun, which features lots of ancient architecture.
Kids Konnect has a good overview of Bahrain and printable worksheets available to subscribers.
Bahrain was once known for its pearl fisheries; make an easy oyster with a pearl craft from In the Bag Kids Crafts, or learn about how pearls grow with this TED Ed talk.
Bahrain is made up in part of man-made islands. You could fill a tray with water and try your hand at building islands out of sand. How big can you make them? How much weight can they hold? Or design your own island with this project from 422 History on Teachers Pay Teachers.
The national dish of Bahrain is a chicken and rice dish called machboos. Make some for yourself with this recipe from Hungry Paprikas. Or just grab some dates to eat by themselves or use in a recipe (here are some ideas from The Kitchn).
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