Bahrain became part of the Babylonian empire about 600 BC. Bahrain to this day remains a member of the Arab League and Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. Bahrain has mild winters and very hot, humid summers. Bahrain is a generally flat and arid archipelago, consisting of a low desert plain rising gently to a low central escarpment, in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain offered a new location at the centre of the booming Persian Gulf with a large educated indigenous workforce and sound fiscal regulations.
Bahrain assesses heavy fines on visitors who fail to depart Bahrain at the end of their authorized stay. Bahrain has history dating back 5000 years, from the ancient Dilmun period through the Islamic era. Bahrain does not recognize dual nationality, except for citizens of countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia).
Bahrain has become one of the Persian Gulf's most advanced economies and most progressive political systems since gaining its independence from Great Britain in 1971. Historical records referred to Bahrain with names such as the "Life of Eternity", "Paradise", and Eden. For most of that period, they resorted to governing Bahrain indirectly, either through Hormuz or through local Sunni Arab clans, such as the Huwala. On 11-12 November 2005, Bahrain hosted the Forum for the Future bringing together leaders from the Middle East and G8 countries to discuss political and economic reform in the region.
Environmental issues facing Bahrain include desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land and coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations. Another language spoken by some of the local inhabitants of Bahrain is a dialect of Persian which has been heavily influenced by Arabic.
The University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. Al Khamis Mosque, founded in 692, was one of the earliest mosques built in Bahrain, in the era of Umayyad caliph Umar II. However, the exact date at which the term "Bahrain" began to refer solely to the Awal archipelago is unknown.
An Afghan invasion of Iran at the beginning of the eighteenth century resulted in the near collapse of the Safavid state, and the resultant power vacuum saw Oman invade Bahrain in 1717, ending over a hundred years of Persian hegemony.
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