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79-638: Bahrain , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is an island country in West Asia . It is situated on the Persian Gulf , and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands , centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia , to which it

158-471: A UNESCO World Heritage Site . Inspired by the regional Arab Spring , Bahrain's Shia majority started large protests against its Sunni rulers in early 2011. The government initially allowed protests following a pre-dawn raid on protesters camped in Pearl Roundabout . A month later it requested security assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and declared

237-494: A Person From...? A Dictionary of Resident Names (the first edition of Labels for Locals ) Dickson attributed the term to George H. Scheetz, in his Names' Names: A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon (1988), which is apparently where the term first appears. The term may have been fashioned after demonymic , which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as the name of an Athenian citizen according to

316-562: A difficult target. Many developing small island countries rely heavily on fish for their main supply of food. Some are turning to renewable energy —such as wind power , hydropower , geothermal power and biodiesel from copra oil —to defend against potential rises in oil prices . Some island countries are more affected than other countries by climate change , which produces problems such as reduced land use , water scarcity , and sometimes even resettlement issues. Some low-lying island countries are slowly being submerged by

395-804: A document shows that 81 years before the arrival of the Al Khalifa, one of the sheikhs of the Al Bin Ali tribe (an offshoot of the Bani Utbah) had bought a palm garden from Mariam bint Ahmed Al Sanadi in Sitra island. The Al Bin Ali were the dominant group controlling the town of Zubarah on the Qatar peninsula, originally the centre of power of the Bani Utbah. After the Bani Utbah gained control of Bahrain,

474-410: A group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, state, country, and continent). Demonyms are used to designate all people (the general population) of a particular place, regardless of ethnic, linguistic, religious or other cultural differences that may exist within

553-572: A group of youths threw stones at female runners for running bare-legged during an international marathon. The resulting clash with police soon grew into civil unrest. A popular uprising occurred between 1994 and 2000 in which leftists, liberals and Islamists joined forces. The event resulted in approximately forty deaths and ended after Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa became the Emir of Bahrain in 1999. He instituted elections for parliament, gave women

632-585: A large statue to Awal in Muharraq , although it has now been lost. For many centuries after Tylos , Bahrain was known as Awal . By the 5th century, Bahrain became a centre for Nestorian Christianity , with the village Samahij as the seat of bishops. In 410, according to the Oriental Syriac Church synodal records, a bishop named Batai was excommunicated from the church in Bahrain. As a sect,

711-580: A letter to the League of Nations , a move that prompted Belgrave to undertake harsh measures including encouraging conflicts between Shia and Sunni Muslims to bring down the uprisings and limit the Iranian influence. Belgrave even went further by suggesting to rename the Persian Gulf to the "Arabian Gulf"; however, the proposal was refused by the British government. Britain's interest in Bahrain's development

790-530: A native of the United Kingdom may be called a British person , a Briton or, informally, a Brit . Some demonyms may have several meanings. For example, the demonym Macedonians may refer to the population of North Macedonia , or more generally to the entire population of the region of Macedonia , a portion of which is in Greece . In some languages, a demonym may be borrowed from another language as

869-490: A nickname or descriptive adjective for a group of people: for example, Québécois , Québécoise (female) is commonly used in English for a native of the province or city of Quebec (though Quebecer , Quebecker are also available). In English, demonyms are always capitalized . Often, demonyms are the same as the adjectival form of the place, e.g. Egyptian , Japanese , or Greek . However, they are not necessarily

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948-688: A number of protests and general strikes. In 1965 a month-long uprising broke out after hundreds of workers at the Bahrain Petroleum Company were laid off. On 15 August 1971, though the Shah of Iran was claiming historical sovereignty over Bahrain, he accepted a referendum held by the United Nations and eventually Bahrain declared independence and signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom. Bahrain joined

1027-590: A three-month period in order to ease the financial pain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . Bahrain assailed the movement as an Iranian plot, and banned opposition parties, put civilians in front of military courts and jailed dozens of peaceful political opponents, eliciting harsh international criticism. "Ten years after Bahrain's popular uprising, systemic injustice has intensified and political repression targeting dissidents, human rights defenders, clerics and independent civil society have effectively shut any space for

1106-605: A three-month state of emergency. The government then launched a crackdown on the opposition that included conducting thousands of arrests and systematic torture . Almost daily clashes between protesters and security forces led to dozens of deaths . Protests, sometimes staged by opposition parties, were ongoing. More than 80 civilians and 13 policemen have been killed as of March 2014. According to Physicians for Human Rights , 34 of these deaths were related to government usage of tear gas originally manufactured by U.S.-based Federal Laboratories . The lack of coverage by Arab media in

1185-446: A truncated form of the toponym , or place-name.) "-ish" is usually proper only as an adjective. See note below list. -ene Often used for Middle Eastern locations and European locations. -ensian -ard -ese, -nese or -lese "-ese" is usually considered proper only as an adjective, or to refer to the entirety. Thus, "a Chinese person" is used rather than "a Chinese". Often used for Italian and East Asian, from

1264-623: Is connected by the King Fahd Causeway . The population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore . The capital and largest city is Manama . According to archeologist Geoffrey Bibby, Bahrain

1343-597: Is linked to Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway , Singapore to Malaysia by the Johor–Singapore Causeway and Second Link , and the United Kingdom has a railway connection to France through the Channel Tunnel . Geographically, the country of Australia is considered a continental landmass rather than an island, covering the largest landmass of the Australian continent . In the past, however, it

1422-547: Is mostly used by the natives in the province of Quezon , is also used for their local or native demonyms in English . -a(ñ/n)o/a, -e(ñ/n)o/a, or -i(ñ/n)o/a Adaptations from the standard Spanish suffix -e(ñ/n)o (sometimes using a final -a instead of -o for a female, following the standard Spanish suffix -e(ñ/n)a ) Countries and regions Cities -ite -(e)r Often used for European locations and Canadian locations -(i)sh (Usually suffixed to

1501-489: Is not confined to India, but extends to Arabia." The Greek historian Theophrastus states that much of Bahrain was covered by these cotton trees and that Bahrain was famous for exporting walking canes engraved with emblems that were customarily carried in Babylon. Alexander had planned to settle Greek colonists in Bahrain, and although it is not clear that this happened on the scale he envisaged, Bahrain became very much part of

1580-495: Is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization . It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries , which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam , during the lifetime of Muhammad in 628 AD. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas

1659-606: The Baharna may be the Arabised "descendants of converts from the original population of Christians (Aramaeans), Jews and Persians inhabiting the island and cultivated coastal provinces of Eastern Arabia at the time of the Muslim conquest ". The sedentary people of pre-Islamic Bahrain were Aramaic speakers and to some degree Persian speakers, while Syriac functioned as a liturgical language . Muhammad 's first interaction with

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1738-529: The English language , there are many polysemic words that have several meanings (including demonymic and ethnonymic uses), and therefore a particular use of any such word depends on the context. For example, the word Thai may be used as a demonym, designating any inhabitant of Thailand , while the same word may also be used as an ethnonym, designating members of the Thai people . Conversely, some groups of people may be associated with multiple demonyms. For example,

1817-588: The Gulf Cooperation Council . Bahrain is a Dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization . Bahrain is the dual form of Arabic word Bahr (meaning literally " sea "), so al-Bahrayn originally means literally "the two seas ". However, the name has been lexicalised as a feminine proper noun and does not follow the grammatical rules for duals; thus its form is always Bahrayn and never Bahrān ,

1896-727: The House of Khalifa , Al-Ma'awdah, Al-Buainain, Al-Fadhil, Al-Kuwari, Al-Mannai, Al-Noaimi, Al-Rumaihi, Al-Sulaiti, Al-Sadah, Al-Thawadi and other families and tribes. The House of Khalifa moved from Qatar to Bahrain in 1799. Originally, their ancestors were expelled from Umm Qasr in central Arabia by the Ottomans due to their predatory habits of preying on caravans in Basra and trading ships in Shatt al-Arab waterway until Turks expelled them to Kuwait in 1716, where they remained until 1766. Around

1975-665: The Indus Valley . Bahrain was later ruled by the Assyrians and Babylonians . From the sixth to third century BC, Bahrain was part of the Achaemenid Empire . By about 250 BC, Parthia brought the Persian Gulf under its control and extended its influence as far as Oman. The Parthians established garrisons along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf to control trade routes. During the classical era , Bahrain

2054-470: The Maldives . Some island countries share one or more of their islands with other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland ; Haiti and the Dominican Republic ; and Indonesia, which shares islands with Papua New Guinea , Brunei , East Timor , and Malaysia . Bahrain, Singapore, and the United Kingdom have fixed links such as bridges and tunnels to the continental landmass: Bahrain

2133-462: The Philippines are notable exceptions. Some island countries are centred on one or two major islands, such as the United Kingdom , Trinidad and Tobago , New Zealand , Cuba , Bahrain , Singapore , Sri Lanka , Iceland , Malta , and Taiwan . Others are spread out over hundreds or thousands of smaller islands, such as Japan , Indonesia, the Philippines , The Bahamas , Seychelles , and

2212-555: The Portuguese Empire allied with Hormuz and seized Bahrain from the Jabrid ruler Muqrin ibn Zamil , who was killed during the takeover. Portuguese rule lasted for around 80 years, during which time they depended mainly on Sunni Persian governors. The Portuguese were expelled from the islands in 1602 by Abbas I of the Safavid Iran , which gave impetus to Shia Islam . For the next two centuries, Persian rulers retained control of

2291-505: The Quran , but does not refer to the modern island—originally known to the Arabs as Awal . Today, Bahrain's "two seas" are generally taken to be the bay east and west of the island, the seas north and south of the island, or the salt and fresh water present above and below the ground. In addition to wells, there are areas of the sea north of Bahrain where fresh water bubbles up in the middle of

2370-711: The Second World War on the Allied side, joining on 10 September 1939. On 19 October 1940, four Italian SM.82s bombers bombed Bahrain alongside Dhahran oilfields in Saudi Arabia, targeting Allied-operated oil refineries. Although minimal damage was caused in both locations, the attack forced the Allies to upgrade Bahrain's defences, an action which further stretched Allied military resources. After World War II, increasing anti-British sentiment spread throughout

2449-693: The September 11 attacks , the country participated in military action against the Taliban in October 2001 by deploying a frigate in the Arabian Sea for rescue and humanitarian operations. As a result, in November of that year, US president George W. Bush 's administration designated Bahrain as a " major non-NATO ally ". Bahrain opposed the invasion of Iraq and had offered Saddam Hussein asylum in

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2528-592: The Strait of Hormuz in Oman . This was Iqlīm al-Bahrayn's "Bahrayn Province". The exact date at which the term "Bahrain" began to refer solely to the Awal archipelago is unknown. The entire coastal strip of Eastern Arabia was known as "Bahrain" for a millennium. The island and kingdom were also commonly spelled Bahrein into the 1950s. Bahrain was home to Dilmun , an important Bronze Age trade centre linking Mesopotamia and

2607-988: The deme to which the citizen belongs, with its first use traced to 1893. Several linguistic elements are used to create demonyms in the English language . The most common is to add a suffix to the end of the location name, slightly modified in some instances. These may resemble Late Latin , Semitic , Celtic , or Germanic suffixes, such as -(a)n , -ian , -anian , -nian , -in(e) , -a(ñ/n)o/a , -e(ñ/n)o/a , -i(ñ/n)o/a , -ite , -(e)r , -(i)sh , -ene , -ensian , -ard , -ese , -nese , -lese , -i(e) , -i(ya) , -iot , -iote , -k , -asque , -(we)gian , -onian , -vian , -ois(e) , or -ais(e) . -(a)n Continents and regions Countries Constituent states, provinces and regions Cities -ian Countries Constituent states, provinces, regions and cities -anian -nian -in(e) -(h)in The Tayabas Tagalog suffix -(h)in , which

2686-500: The global economy . Due to the nature of island countries their economies are often characterised by being smaller, relatively isolated from world trade and economy, more vulnerable to shipping costs, and more likely to suffer environmental damage to infrastructure; exceptions include Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The dominant industry for many island countries is tourism . Island countries are typically small with low populations, although some, like Indonesia , Japan , and

2765-762: The 1760s, the Al Jalahma and House of Khalifa, both belonging to the Utub Federation, migrated to Zubarah in modern-day Qatar , leaving Al Sabah as the sole proprietors of Kuwait. In the early 19th century, Bahrain was invaded by both the Omanis and the Al Sauds . In 1802 it was governed by a 12-year-old child, when the Omani ruler Sayyid Sultan installed his son, Salim, as governor in the Arad Fort . In 1816,

2844-635: The Al Bin Ali had a practically independent status there as a self-governing tribe. They used a flag with four red and three white stripes, called the Al-Sulami flag in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait , and the Eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Later, different Arab family clans and tribes from Qatar moved to Bahrain to settle after the fall of Nasr Al-Madhkur of Bushehr . These families included

2923-624: The Arab Spring , ended in a bloody crackdown against the mainly Shiite demonstrators who had demanded an elected government, threatening the Sunni monarchy's grip on power. In 2012, the Bahrain Pearling Trail , consisting of three oyster beds, was designated as a World Heritage Site , inscribing it as "Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy". On 9 April 2020, Bahrain launched a committee to paying private-sector employees for

3002-765: The Arab World and led to riots in Bahrain. The riots focused on the Jewish community. In 1948, following rising hostilities and looting , most members of Bahrain's Jewish community abandoned their properties and evacuated to Bombay , later settling in Israel ( Pardes Hanna-Karkur ) and the United Kingdom. As of 2008, 37 Jews remained in the country. In the 1950s, the National Union Committee , formed by reformists following sectarian clashes, demanded an elected popular assembly, removal of Belgrave and carried out

3081-755: The Black Stone caused it to break into seven pieces. Following their defeat in the year 976 by the Abbasids , the Qarmatians were overthrown by the Arab Uyunid dynasty of al-Hasa , who took over the entire Bahrain region in 1076. The Uyunids controlled Bahrain until 1235, when the archipelago was briefly occupied by the Persian ruler of Fars . In 1253, the Bedouin Usfurids brought down

3160-427: The British placed the country under the de facto rule of Charles Belgrave who operated as an adviser to the ruler until 1957. Belgrave brought a number of reforms such as establishment of the country's first modern school in 1919 and the abolition of slavery in 1937. At the same time, the pearl diving industry developed at a rapid pace. In 1927, Rezā Shāh , then Shah of Iran , demanded sovereignty over Bahrain in

3239-541: The British political resident in the Persian Gulf, William Bruce, received a letter from the Sheikh of Bahrain who was concerned about a rumour that Britain would support an attack on the island by the Imam of Muscat. He sailed to Bahrain to reassure the Sheikh that this was not the case and drew up an informal agreement assuring the Sheikh that Britain would remain a neutral party. In 1820, the Al Khalifa tribe were recognised by

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3318-647: The Great of the Safavid Iran . In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur and it has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family , with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim . In the late 1800s, following successive treaties with the British , Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, it declared independence . Formerly an emirate , Bahrain

3397-414: The Hellenised world: the language of the upper classes was Greek (although Aramaic was in everyday use). Local coinage shows a seated Zeus, who may have been worshipped there as a syncretised form of the Arabian sun-god Shams . Tylos was also the site of Greek athletic contests. The Greek historian Strabo believed the Phoenicians originated from Bahrain. Herodotus also believed that the homeland of

3476-400: The Iranian Zand leader Karim Khan Zand and restored direct Iranian rule. In 1783, Al-Madhkur lost the islands of Bahrain following his defeat by the Bani Utbah clan and allied tribes at the 1782 Battle of Zubarah . Bahrain was not new territory to the Bani Utbah; they had been a presence there since the 17th century. During that time, they started purchasing date palm gardens in Bahrain;

3555-513: The Italian suffix -ese , which is originally from the Latin adjectival ending -ensis , designating origin from a place: thus Hispaniensis (Spanish), Danensis (Danish), etc. The use in demonyms for Francophone locations is motivated by the similar-sounding French suffix -ais(e) , which is at least in part a relative (< lat. -ensis or -iscus , or rather both). -i(e) or -i(ya) Countries States, provinces, counties, and cities Mostly for Middle Eastern and South Asian locales. -i

3634-472: The Nestorians were often persecuted as heretics by the Byzantine Empire , but Bahrain was outside the Empire's control, offering some safety. The names of several Muharraq villages today reflect Bahrain's Christian legacy, with Al Dair meaning "the monastery". Bahrain's pre-Islamic population consisted of Christian Arabs (mostly Abd al-Qays ), Persians ( Zoroastrians ), Jews , and Aramaic -speaking agriculturalists. According to Robert Bertram Serjeant ,

3713-475: The Persian Gulf and author of The Persian Gulf , arrived in Bahrain from Muscat at this time. The uprising developed further with some protesters killed by British forces. Before the development of the petroleum industry, the island was largely devoted to pearl fisheries and, as late as the 19th century, was considered to be the finest in the world. In 1903, German explorer Hermann Burchardt visited Bahrain and took many photographs of historical sites, including

3792-418: The Persian Gulf, as compared to other Arab Spring uprisings, has sparked several controversies. Iran is alleged by United States and others to have a hand in the arming of Bahraini militants. The Saudi-led Intervention of Bahrain led to swift suppression of widespread anti-government protests through military assistance from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The 2011 Bahraini uprising , inspired by

3871-424: The Phoenicians was Bahrain. This theory was accepted by the 19th-century German classicist Arnold Heeren who said that: "In the Greek geographers, for instance, we read of two islands, named Tyrus or Tylos , and Aradus , which boasted that they were the mother country of the Phoenicians, and exhibited relics of Phoenician temples." The people of Tyre , in particular, have long maintained Persian Gulf origins, and

3950-497: The Qarmatians demanded tribute from the caliph in Baghdad , and in 930 sacked Mecca , bringing the sacred Black Stone back to their base in Ahsa , in medieval Bahrain, for ransom. According to historian Al-Juwayni , the stone was returned 22 years later in 951 under mysterious circumstances. Wrapped in a sack, it was thrown into the Great Mosque of Kufa in Iraq, accompanied by a note saying "By command we took it, and by command, we have brought it back." The theft and removal of

4029-417: The Tylos era; for instance the name of Arad, a residential suburb of Muharraq , is believed to originate from "Arados", the ancient Greek name for Muharraq. In the 3rd century, Ardashir I , the first ruler of the Sassanid dynasty , marched on Oman and Bahrain, where he defeated Sanatruq the ruler of Bahrain. Bahrain was also the site of worship of an ox deity called Awal (Arabic: اوال ) Worshipers built

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4108-410: The United Kingdom as the rulers ("Al-Hakim" in Arabic) of Bahrain after signing a treaty relationship . However, ten years later they were forced to pay yearly tributes to Egypt despite seeking Persian and British protection. In 1860, the Al Khalifas used the same tactic when the British tried to overpower Bahrain. Writing letters to the Persians and Ottomans , Al Khalifas agreed to place Bahrain under

4187-403: The United Nations and the Arab League later in the year. The oil boom of the 1970s benefited Bahrain greatly, although the subsequent downturn hurt the economy. The country had already begun diversification of its economy and benefited further from the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s, when Bahrain replaced Beirut as the Middle East's financial hub after Lebanon's large banking sector

4266-433: The Uyunid dynasty, thereby gaining control over eastern Arabia , including the islands of Bahrain. In 1330, the archipelago became a tributary state of the rulers of Hormuz , though locally the islands were controlled by the Shi'ite Jarwanid dynasty of Qatif . In the mid-15th century, the archipelago came under the rule of the Jabrids , a Bedouin dynasty also based in Al-Ahsa that ruled most of eastern Arabia. In 1521,

4345-453: The archipelago, interrupted by the 1717 and 1738 invasions of the Ibadis of Oman. During most of this period, they resorted to governing Bahrain indirectly, either through the city of Bushehr or through immigrant Sunni Arab clans. The latter were tribes returning to the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf from Persian territories in the north who were known as Huwala . In 1753, the Huwala clan of Nasr Al-Madhkur invaded Bahrain on behalf of

4424-478: The country. Other agreements in 1880 and 1892 sealed the protectorate status of Bahrain to the British. Unrest amongst the people of Bahrain began when Britain officially established complete dominance over the territory in 1892. The first revolt and widespread uprising took place in March 1895 against Sheikh Issa bin Ali, then ruler of Bahrain. Sheikh Issa was the first of the Al Khalifa to rule without Persian relations. Sir Arnold Wilson , Britain's representative in

4503-415: The days before the invasion. Relations improved with neighbouring Qatar after the border dispute over the Hawar Islands was resolved by the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2001. Following the political liberalisation of the country, Bahrain negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States in 2004. In 2005, Qal'at al-Bahrain , a fort and archaeological complex was inscribed as

4582-556: The effects of the climate , especially sea level changes . Remote or significant islands and archipelagos that are not themselves sovereign are often known as dependencies or overseas territories . Historically, island countries have tended to be less prone to political instability than their continental counterparts. The percentage of island countries that are democratic is higher than that of continental countries. While island countries by definition are sovereign states , there are also several islands and archipelagos around

4661-470: The expected nominative form. Endings are added to the word with no changes, as in the name of the national anthem Bahraynunā ("our Bahrain") or the demonym Bahraynī . The medieval grammarian al-Jawahari commented on this, saying that the more formally correct term Bahrī (lit. "belonging to the sea") would have been misunderstood and so was unused. It remains disputed which "two seas" the name Bahrayn originally refers to. The term appears five times in

4740-410: The first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf , the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors; many of the world's largest financial institutions have a presence in the country's capital. It is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy . Bahrain is a member of the United Nations , Non-Aligned Movement , Arab League , Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and

4819-414: The latter's protection in March due to offering better conditions. Eventually, the Government of British India overpowered Bahrain when the Persians refused to protect it. Colonel Pelly signed a new treaty with Al Khalifas placing Bahrain under British rule and protection. Following the Qatari–Bahraini War in 1868, British representatives signed another agreement with the Al Khalifas. It specified that

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4898-590: The old Qaṣr es-Sheikh , photos now stored at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin . Before the First World War , there were about 400 vessels hunting pearls and an annual export of more than £30,000. In 1911, a group of Bahraini merchants demanded restrictions on the British influence in the country. The group's leaders were subsequently arrested and exiled to India. In 1923, the British introduced administrative reforms and replaced Sheikh Issa bin Ali with his son. Some clerical opponents and families, such as Al Dosari , left or were exiled to Saudi Arabia. Three years later

4977-536: The peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression or peaceful activism", Amnesty International said in a statement. Island country There are great variations between island country economies: they may rely mainly on extractive industries, such as mining, fishing and agriculture, and/or on services such as transit hubs, tourism , and financial services. Many islands have low-lying geographies and their economies and population centers develop along coast plains and ports ; such states may be vulnerable to

5056-413: The people of Bahrain was the Al Kudr Invasion . Muhammad ordered a surprise attack on the Banu Salim tribe for plotting to attack Medina. He had received news that some tribes were assembling an army in Bahrain and preparing to attack the mainland, but the tribesmen retreated when they learned Muhammad was leading an army to do battle with them. Traditional Islamic accounts state that Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami

5135-461: The population of that place. Examples of demonyms include Cochabambino , for someone from the city of Cochabamba ; Tunisian for a person from Tunisia; and Swahili , for a person of the Swahili coast . As a sub-field of anthroponymy , the study of demonyms is called demonymy or demonymics . Since they are referring to territorially defined groups of people, demonyms are semantically different from ethnonyms (names of ethnic groups ). In

5214-429: The right to vote, and released all political prisoners. A referendum on 14–15 February 2001 massively supported the National Action Charter . As part of the adoption of the National Action Charter on 14 February 2002, Bahrain changed its formal name from the State ( dawla ) of Bahrain to the Kingdom of Bahrain. At the same time, the title of the Head of State, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, was changed from Emir to King. After

5293-600: The rising water levels of the Pacific Ocean . Climate change also impacts island countries by causing natural disasters such as tropical cyclones , hurricanes, flash floods and droughts . Some small and low population islands do not have the resources to protect their islands and natural resources. They experience climate hazards which impact on human health, livelihoods, and inhabitable space. This can lead to pressure to leave these islands but resources to do so are often lacking as well. Many island countries rely heavily on imports and are greatly affected by changes in

5372-427: The ruler could not dispose of any of his territories except to the United Kingdom and could not enter into relationships with any foreign government without British consent. In return the British promised to protect Bahrain from all aggression by sea and to lend support in case of land attack. More importantly the British promised to support the rule of the Al Khalifa in Bahrain, securing its unstable position as rulers of

5451-471: The saltwater as noted by visitors since antiquity. An alternative theory concerning Bahrain's toponymy is offered by the al-Ahsa region, which suggests that the two seas were the Great Green Ocean (the Persian Gulf) and a peaceful lake on the Arabian mainland . Until the late Middle Ages , "Bahrain" referred to the region of Eastern Arabia that included Southern Iraq , Kuwait , Al-Hasa , Qatif , and Bahrain. The region stretched from Basra in Iraq to

5530-445: The same, as exemplified by Spanish instead of Spaniard or British instead of Briton. English commonly uses national demonyms such as Brazilian or Algerian , while the usage of local demonyms such as Chicagoan , Okie or Parisian is less common. Many local demonyms are rarely used and many places, especially smaller towns and cities, lack a commonly used and accepted demonym altogether. National Geographic attributes

5609-474: The similarity in the words "Tylos" and "Tyre" has been commented upon. However, there is little evidence of any human settlement at all on Bahrain during the time when such migration had supposedly taken place. The name Tylos is thought to be a Hellenisation of the Semitic Tilmun (from Dilmun ). The term Tylos was commonly used for the islands until Ptolemy 's Geographia when the inhabitants are referred to as Thilouanoi. Some place names in Bahrain go back to

5688-641: The term demonym to Merriam-Webster editor Paul Dickson in a work from 1990. The word did not appear for nouns, adjectives, and verbs derived from geographical names in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary nor in prominent style manuals such as the Chicago Manual of Style . It was subsequently popularized in this sense in 1997 by Dickson in his book Labels for Locals . However, in What Do You Call

5767-611: The world that operate semi-autonomously from their official sovereign states. These are often known as dependencies or overseas territories and can be similar in nature to proper island countries. Island countries have often been the basis of maritime conquest and historical rivalry between other countries. Island countries are more susceptible to attack by large, continental countries due to their size and dependence on sea and air lines of communication . Many island countries are also vulnerable to predation by mercenaries and other foreign invaders, although their isolation also makes them

5846-416: Was considered an island country for tourism purposes (among others) and is sometimes referred to as such. Demonym A demonym ( / ˈ d ɛ m ə n ɪ m / ; from Ancient Greek δῆμος ( dêmos )  'people, tribe' and ὄνυμα ( ónuma )  'name') or gentilic (from Latin gentilis  'of a clan, or gens ') is a word that identifies

5925-481: Was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002, and Article 2 of the newly adopted constitution made Sharia a principal source for legislation. In 2011, the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring . Bahrain's ruling Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa royal family has been criticised for violating the human rights of groups including dissidents, political opposition figures, and its majority Shia Muslim population . Bahrain developed one of

6004-669: Was driven out of the country by the war. In 1981, following the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the Bahraini Shia population orchestrated a failed coup attempt under the auspices of a front organisation, the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain . The coup would have installed a Shia cleric exiled in Iran, Hujjatu l-Islām Hādī al-Mudarrisī , as supreme leader heading a theocratic government . In December 1994,

6083-804: Was motivated by concerns over Saudi and Iranian ambitions in the region. The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), discovered oil in 1932. In the early 1930s, Bahrain Airport was developed. Imperial Airways flew there, including the Handley Page HP42 aircraft. Later in the same decade, the Bahrain Maritime Airport was established, for flying boats and seaplanes. Bahrain participated in

6162-649: Was referred to by the ancient Greeks as Tylos , the centre of pearl trading, when the Greek admiral Nearchus serving under Alexander the Great landed on Bahrain. Nearchus is believed to have been the first of Alexander's commanders to visit the island, and he found a verdant land that was part of a wide trading network; he recorded: "That on the island of Tylos, situated in the Persian Gulf, are large plantations of cotton trees, from which are manufactured clothes called sindones , of strongly differing degrees of value, some being costly, others less expensive. The use of these

6241-668: Was sent as an envoy during the Expedition of Zayd ibn Harithah (Hisma) to the Bahrain region by Muhammad in AD ;628 and that Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi , the local ruler, responded to his mission and converted the entire area. In the year 899, the Qarmatians , a millenarian Ismaili Muslim sect, seized Bahrain, seeking to create a utopian society based on reason and redistribution of property among initiates. Thereafter,

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