Page 30 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

2. Bahrain—The Present

The Bahrain Islands occupy the mouth of a shallow bay approximately midway along
the western shore of the Persian-Arabian Gulf and 25 km east of the Saudi Arabian
coast. While the political boundaries encompass many small islands and reefs, the
most noticeable human activity involves only six of the total (fig. 1). The largest
and most heavily populated Island is Bahrain itself. It is 50 km long and 20 km wide
and is oriented essentially north-south. Bahrain is joined by causeways to two
smaller but important Islands, Muharraq and Sitra. The former lies directly
opposite the city of Manama at the northeast shore of Bahrain. The city of
Muharraq, on the southwest shore of Muharraq Island, is included with Manama as
the urban center of the islands. Muharraq Island and Bahrain enclose a sheltered
harbor for coastal shipping. Sitra Island, located due south of Muharraq, is
separated from Bahrain by 300 to 400 m of intertidal zone. Sitra is also the site of
a refinery and docking facility for the Bahrain Petroleum Company. Other
important islands are Nabih Salih, Jidda, and Umm an-Nassan. In addition, Bahrain
claims a group of smaller islands 1.5 km from the west coast of Qatar. These are
the Hawar Islands.
Bahrain occupies a strategic position in the gulf. Its central location and
closeness to the Arabian mainland makes it a useful exchange point and service
center for international maritime interests. Accordingly, it has an international
appearance provided by a population with sizable minorities of Persians, Pakistanis,
Indians, and Europeans.
Geologically, Bahrain is an elongated dome created by folding of Tertiary
limestones and shales but with a central erosional depression. Barren limestone
slopes rise gently inland away from the coastal plains until they reach the rimrocks
of the central depression. Cultivatable soils are found both within the central

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