Page 32 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

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depression, and on the surrounding coastal plains. Fresh water, however, is
abundant only in the northern portions of the island. Settlement, quite naturally, is
associated with the better watered and most productive areas of the islands.
Figure 1 shows the array of villages based upon aerial photography taken in 1956.
Tbis approximates the present pattern and provides historic background to village
patterns.
Population is distributed about the urban centers of Manama and
Muharraq with these cities contributing over 89,000 and 49,000 inhabitants
respectively (Government of Bahrain, 1971 census). The nonurban population
distribution is shown by Figure 2. With the exception of the more centrally located
town of Rifa’a as-Sharki (fig. 1), the greatest nonurban population lies on the
periphery of Manama. Here, too, live skilled and semiskilled workers dependent
upon employment in and near the urban area. Outlying villages to the west and
southwest are more involved in agricultural pursuits, but also provide urban labor.
An anomalous population center at Rifa’a as-Sharki indicates the influence of the
traditional residence of the ruling family, the al-Khalifa. In addition, Rifa’a as-
Sharki is in close proximity to the two major industries—the Bahrain Petroleum
Company (Bapco) and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba).
The petroleum industry came to Bahrain in the mid 1930s lured by the
unmistakable geologic domal structure underlying the main island. Petroleum
quickly replaced the traditional but declining Bahrain-centered pearl industry. At
the same time Bahrain began to experience socioeconomic changes. An island with
favorable water resources and known predominantly for its abundant date gardens
and pearl fishery was confronted with a new export and a more lucrative market in
the world.
Petroleum revenues provided a major source of capital for the state.
With this economic boost began an acceleration in the rate of modernization which
continues at the present. But, with only one small geologic dome to draw from,
Bahrain's future as a petroleum exporter was limited. Tlie finite nature of this
resource was realized at the same time the immense petroleum reserves in nearby