kingdom · Arabia and the Gulf

State of Bahrain

1971 CE – present · capital Manama

Independent Bahrain since 1971, a Gulf financial centre ruled by the Al Khalifa and a kingdom since 2002.

Origins

After a United Nations mission found that Bahrainis wanted independence rather than union with Iran, Britain ended its protection of the Sheikhdom of Bahrain, and the State of Bahrain became independent on 15 August 1971 under Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

Rule and society

An elected parliament created by the constitution of 1973 was dissolved in 1975. With modest oil reserves, Bahrain built an offshore banking sector, aluminium smelting and a causeway to Saudi Arabia, opened in 1986, and hosts the US Fifth Fleet. Tension between the Sunni ruling family and the Shi'a majority produced unrest in the 1990s. Hamad bin Isa, ruler from 1999, introduced a National Action Charter and proclaimed a kingdom in 2002.

To the present

In 2011 mass protests at the Pearl Roundabout were suppressed with the help of Saudi and Emirati forces. Bahrain remains a constitutional monarchy with strong royal power; it normalised relations with Israel in 2020.

Lineage

Sheikhdom of Bahrain 1783 CE – 1971 CEState of Bahrain

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Bahrain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-bahrain
MLA
“State of Bahrain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-bahrain. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Bahrain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-bahrain.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Bahrain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-bahrain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻