Manama

Manama

 Arabic Al-Manamah

City (pop., 2001: 143,035), capital of Bahrain. Situated at the northeastern tip of Bahrain island, it is Bahrain's largest city, with about one-fifth of the emirate's population. It is one of the most important ports on the Persian Gulf. A commercial and financial centre enriched by Bahrain's oil wealth, it is linked by causeway with the nearby island city of Muharraq. First mentioned in Muslim chronicles c. 1345, it was taken by the Portuguese in 1521 and by the Persians in 1602. It has been held, with brief interruptions, by the Khalifah dynasty since 1783. Manama was the seat of the British political resident for the Persian Gulf (1946–71), after which it became the capital of independent Bahrain.

---

Manama

the capital of Bahrain, at the N end of Bahrain Island: transit port. Pop.: 142 000 (2005 est.)

---

Manama 

the capital and chief economic center of Bahrain. Located on the northern coast of Bahrain Island. A highway over a causeway connects Manama with the city of Muharraq, which has an airport. The climate is transitional between tropical and subtropical; the average January temperature is 16°C and the August temperature is 37°C; precipitation is about 90 mm a year. Population, including suburbs, 110,000 (1971).

Manama is a seaport and the site of the emir’s residence, administrative and commercial institutions, and banks. It is also one of the chief centers of the country’s craft industry. Fishing is important, as is diving for pearls and mother-of-pearl. An oil refinery to the south of Manama, which is owned by a US company, processes petroleum that arrives from the oil fields of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.