Kingdom
of Bahrain, a group of 33 islands, with an area of 707 square
kilometres, is situated in the Arabian Gulf, off the east coast of
Saudi Arabia. The local time is GMT + 3 hours.A causeway connects
Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.
The
state takes its name from the largest island Bahrain, which is 586.5
square kilometres. It is linked by causeways to Muharraq (international
airport) and Sitra (industrial area and tank-farm). There are numerous
other tiny islands, but they are mainly uninhabited and are best known
for the variety of migrating birds which pass through in spring and
autumn.
Arabic
is the official language, although English is widely understood and
it's used by most businesses.Other languages which are widely spoken
and understood are Persian and Urdu.Islam
is the religion of Bahrain and is practised by a large, majority.
The
climate is hot in summer and mild in winter. From November to April
is very pleasant, with temperatures from 15 to 24 degrees centigrade.
Temperatures are coolest between December and March when northerly
winds prevail. From July to September temperatures average 36 degrees
centigrade with high humidity.
The
annual average rainfall is approximately 77 millimetres.
Mentioned
below is brief introduction about the Major Bahraini Banks and their
main websites .
Central
Bank of Bahrain
Formerly
called the Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA); web site contains interest
rates on major currencies and the Bahraini dinar, monetary and financial
indicators, foreign trade, balance of payments, banks, financial institutions
etc
Report
on banking and finance in the Arab world; contains country profiles
and listings, directory of banks and financial institutions, ranking
by capital, ranking by assets, BIS capital adequacy ratio, bank ratings
etc
Bahraini
bank offering services in corporate banking, treasury, Islamic banking
and private banking; syndicated loans, trade finance, project finance,
spot and forward forex, investment banking, securities trading; underwriting
and placement, etc
International
bank; office in Manama; services: commercial banking, structured financing,
export financing, trade finance, forex with specialisation in Arab
currencies, fixed income, equity derivatives, private banking, asset
management
Bahrain
wing of the US bank; web site has details of services offered including
personal accounts, credit cards, loans, investment products, treasury
products etc
