The State of Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands in the Arabian Gulf situated between the east coast of Saudi Arabia and the Qatar peninsula. Bahrain, meaning "two seas" in Arabic, is the largest island of the archipelago. In addition to its sandy beaches, coral reefs, and renowned diving, Bahrain contains numerous archaeological sites, historical museums, mosques, and traditional markets.

The majority of the population lives on the northern third of Bahrain island, which contains the modern capital city of Manama, and the nearby island of Al Muharraq. Most of the remaining islands are tiny and uninhabited, but are well-known for the variety of migrating birds that pass through in the spring and autumn months.

Bahrain has a reputation as one of the most liberal Persian Gulf states. The country has a large expatriate population, giving the urban centers a highly cosmopolitan atmosphere. Islam is practiced by approximately 85 percent of the population, although other religions, primarily Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity, enjoy freedom of worship as well. Arabic is the official language and English is compulsory in schools and widely used for business purposes.

The King Fahd Causeway, a 25-kilometer long, four-lane highway crossing the Arabian Gulf, links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most expensive bridges in the world. A man-made island at the midway point of the causeway provides fantastic views of the surrounding ocean.

In the past two decades, over 30 Fulbright grants have been awarded to U.S. scholars to lecture in Bahrain. Approximately one-third of those grants included a research component. Fulbright scholars in Bahrain have been involved in a diverse range of disciplines including American studies, linguistics, archaeology, engineering, business administration, medical sciences, and sociology.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in Bahrain. Please also feel free to use the contact information at the bottom of this page to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

U.S. Embassy in Manama, Bahrain
http://www.usembassy.com.bh/
U.S. Embassy website in Bahrain including consular information, U.S. government links, Bahrain links, "hot topics", and links to electronic journals.

Embassy of the State of Bahrain, Washington D.C.
http://www.bahrainembassy.org/
Includes contact information and Bahrain country information including sections on business, culture, military, and tourism.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Bahrain.html
Links to a variety of standard and interactive maps of Bahrain.

Bahrain Government Homepage
http://www.bahrain.gov.bh
Extensive government site with history and official statistics of Bahrain, news and attractions, links, and information on Bahrain's ruling family and various government organizations and ministries.

Bahrain Tourism
http://www.bahraintourism.com/
Tourism information with links and a detailed calendar of events.

Arab Net - Bahrain
http://www.arab.net/bahrain/bahrain_contents.html
Information on Bahrain's history, geography, business, culture, government, transportation, and tourist industry.

Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/bahrain/
Traveler's information on Bahrain, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

World Travel Guide
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/bhr/bhr.asp
Concise information on visas, money, health, holidays, transportation, climate, and important contact addresses in Bahrain. Features a tool that enabling one to create and print a custom 'mini-guide' of chosen information.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/5301.htm
Background information on Bahrain including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

University of Bahrain, Manama
http://www.uob.bh/

Arabian Gulf University, Manama
http://www.agu.edu.bh/index-exp.htm

College of Health Sciences, Manama
http://www.chs.edu.bh/

Ministry of Education
http://www.education.gov.bh/
In Arabic and English.

Bahrain National Museum
http://www.bnmuseum.com/
In Arabic and English.

Bahrain Tribune
http://www.bahraintribune.com/newpdf/
English daily newspaper of Bahrain.

Alayam Daily Newspaper
http://www.alayam.com/pdf/
In Arabic.

Bahrain Post
http://www.bahrainpost.com/
News and current events pertaining to Bahrain.

Al Shaab
http://alarabnews.com/alshaab/
In Arabic. Online newspaper covering regional news.

Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharqalawsat.com/pcdaily/06-11-2001/
In Arabic. The Arabic international newspaper.

Arab Chat
http://chat.arab.net/
Chat server with public and private chat rooms for Online discussions in Arabic or English.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia Message Boards
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/poll.html
Very active message boards and a link to Arabia Chat.

American Bahraini Friendship Society
http://www.bahrainsociety.org/
News and information on the American Bahraini Friendship Society organization.

Arab Social Science Research
http://www.assr.org/
A collection of Online research sources for the Arab World indexed by country, sources, and topics. Includes virtual libraries and links to social science research centers throughout the world.

BBC Arabic Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/
In Arabic. BBC news with audio feed.

U.S. Department of State - Middle East and North Africa
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Middle East and North Africa. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/index.html
A huge list of links pertaining to the Arab world, including very active Message Boards.

Islamic Studies
http://www.uga.edu/islam
A well-balanced site with articles and resources pertaining to Islam, drawn primarily from scholarly research and regional Islamic sources. Contains information on Islam's history, sacred texts, art, architecture, and place in the modern world.