GCC Member States

Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy located in the heart of the Arabian Gulf, west of the Asian continent, and is distinguished by its ancient history and rich civilization for more than five thousand years. The Kingdom of Bahrain is an archipelago consisting of 33 islands, and it is renowned for its orchards, verdant groves of date palms, coasts, and ship building. It is also considered since ancient times as a key center for trade, as it holds a strategic location in the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East. The Kingdom of Bahrain is a hereditary, constitutional monarchy. As a democratic Kingdom based on the rule of law and the separation of powers between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Authorities, it is a reflection of a true parliamentary experience. Within the framework of respect for human dignity, the Kingdom has independent judicial and human rights institutions, an active civil society, as well as press and media freedoms. Despite its limited natural resources, the Kingdom of Bahrain was able through the optimum use of its human resources and its strategic geographic location to achieve economic, progressive, and urban growth. It excelled in advocating human rights as well as in establishing social and human development. It also managed to promote peaceful coexistence among all religions, civilizations and cultures.

Capital

Manama

Location & Size Area

Arabian Gulf, 779.95 Square Kilometres.

Time zone

3 hours ahead of GMT (GMT+3)

Governorates

The Kingdom of Bahrain in Split into 4 Governorates:

• Capital Governorate
• Muharraq Governorate
• Northern Governorate
• Southern Governorate

National Day

December 16th

Population

Total: 1,504,365

Bahraini: 719,333 (48%)

Non-Bahraini: 785,032 (52%)

Languages

Arabic is the official language, While the English as an official language is used in the business sector.

Religion

Islam is the official religion of the Kingdom, however places of worship for the followers of other religions are available through the Kingdom.

Currency:

Bahraini Dinar (Officially linked to the dollar)

Climate

Summer:

July-September, very hot and humid (Avg. 36°C).

Winter:

December to February; cool or mild with occasional rain (10°C - 20°C).

Remaining Months:

March to May and October to November; warm with occasional pleasant breezes (20°C - 30°C).

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies the largest part of the Arabian Peninsula and is located in the far southwest of the continent of Asia, where it is bordered to the west by the Red Sea, to the east by the Persian Gulf, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, and to the north, the State of Kuwait, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Iraq, and to the south, the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Yemen . The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies four fifths of the Arabian Peninsula, with an area estimated at more than 2,250,000 km. The Kingdom’s climate is continental, hot, summers, cold winters, and rains in winters . The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is honored by the presence of Islamic holy sites in Makkah and Madinah, where it embraces the Sacred House of God and the Mosque of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the Kingdom of the government and people is proud of serving the guests of the Most Merciful, pilgrims and Umrah performers . The Kingdom is the first in the world in oil production and reserves, fifth in natural gas reserves, and ninth in natural gas production. Industry in Saudi Arabia is related to oil and natural gas, and the most important industrial products are: cement, steel bars, ethylene, fodder, ethylene glycol, industrial ethanol, ethylene dichlor, stearin, caustic soda, and others. Agriculture is also witnessing remarkable progress in recent years, as the agricultural sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia achieved an increasing developmental renaissance that led to an increase in agricultural GDP from 990 million riyals in 1970 to 38.3 billion riyals at current prices for this year at an annual growth rate of 11%. Wheat, barley, white corn and sesame, in addition to vegetables, the most important of which are tomatoes, melons, potatoes, cucumbers and melons. The total production of dates reached 16 million tons annually .

Population :

34,813,871 million

Official Language :

Arabic

National Day of the Kingdom :

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates its National Day on the first day of Libra, corresponding to September 23.

The Kingdom’s currency :

The basic unit of the Kingdom’s currency is the Saudi riyal, and the US dollar is equivalent to 3.75 riyals.

Weekend :

Friday and Saturday

The most important cities of the Kingdom :

Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, Hail, Al Baha, Buraydah, Tabuk, Jizan, Dammam, Sakaka, Arar, Najran

Geographical location and area

The State of Kuwait is located in the northwestern corner of the Arabian Gulf, bordered by Iraq from the north and northwest, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the south and southwest, as well as by the Persian Gulf to the east. By virtue of its location, it is considered a natural outlet to the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula, which has earned it a commercial importance for a long time. It was called Kuwait as a diminution of the word Kot, which is a building like a fortress in which weapons are stored and where soldiers settle. Kuwait has nine islands: Failaka, Bubiyan, Maskan, Ribah, Awah, Umm al-Maradim, Umm al-Naml, Kabir and Qaruh Island. The area of the State of Kuwait is 17,818 square kilometers. Religion Islam is the main religion of the State of Kuwait. the climate Due to Kuwait's location in the desert geographic region, its climate is of a continental type, which is characterized by long, hot, dry summers, and short warm winters that sometimes rain, and dusty winds blow during the summer months.

Governorates of Kuwait

Kuwait is divided into six governorates:

• Capital Governorate
• Jahra Governorate
• Hawalli Governorate
• Farwaniya Governorate
• Mubarak Al - Kabeer Governorate
• Ahmadi Governorate

Capital

Muscat

Location and Area:

The Sultanate of Oman is located in the far southeast of the Arabian Peninsula and covers an area of approximately 545,044 square kilometers.

Governorates:

Oman is divided into 11 governorates:

• Muscat
• Al Buraimi
• Al Dakhiliyah
• Dhofar
• Musandam
• Al Dhahirah
• Al Wusta
• Al-Batinah North
• Al-Batinah South
• Ash-Sharqiyah North
• Ash-Sharqiyah South

The language:

Arabic is the country's official language and is used in media, education, and formal settings, besides English, which is widely used. The majority of the population speaks Omani Arabic but there are other less commonly spoken languages including Mehri, Jibbali, Hobyot, Baṭhari and Harsusi, Baluchi, Farsi, Ajmi, Kumzari, Zidjali, Luwati and Swahili.

Religion:

Islam Islam is the official religion of the country and the main source of legislation.

Currency :

Omani Rial (OMR) (1 OMR = 2.60 USD).

Standard Time

4 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+4).

National day:

November 18th.

The climate:

Oman enjoys a warm and sunny climate in the winter. However, summer is hot and humid in coastal areas and dry in the interior regions. Southern Oman experiences a pleasantly moderate rainy season, locally known as "Khareef," between June and September. The mountainous areas maintain a temperate climate year-round.

Official working hours :

Government administrative body:

• Implements a flexible working culture, allowing for 7 consecutive hours from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Private sector establishments

• 8 working hours per day, exclusive of a 1-hour meal and rest break.

Weekend :

Friday and Saturday

Public holidays :

(According to the Hijri calendar)

• Hijri New Year: 1 Muharram
• Birth of the Prophet: 12 Rabi Al-Awwal
• Isra and Mi’raj: 27 Rajab
• The Day of the Sultan’s Accession to Power
• Eid Al-Fitr: starting from 29 Ramadan until 3 Shawwal.
• Eid Al-Adha: starting from 9 Dhu Al-Hijja until 12 Dhu Al-Hijja.

Natural features:

Oman's landscape features remarkable diversity, encompassing plains, mountains, plateaus, valleys, springs, and beaches that stretch for 3,165 kilometers from the north to the south, all of which makes it a tourist attraction from around the world

Location :

The State of Qatar is a peninsula located in the middle of the western coast of the Arabian Gulf. Among the most important islands belonging to Qatar are the Halul Islands, Shira'awa, and Al-Ashat.

Landforms:

Its lands consist mainly of a flat rocky surface covered by some plateaus and limestone hills in the Jebel Dukhan region in the west and the Jebel Fuwairat region in the north. This surface is characterized by the abundance of lagoons, bays, basins and depressions called (Riyadh), in the north and central regions, which are considered the most fertile lands of Qatar where natural plants abound.

Area :

Qatar occupies an area of 11,521 square kilometers.

Population :

The population of Qatar is about one million and 800 thousand (according to the 2012 census). Almost 83% of them live in Doha and its main suburb, Al Rayyan.

Capital :

Doha

The language:

Arabic is the official language of the country, but English is also widely used.

Religion:

Islam is the official religion of the State of Qatar, and Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation in the country.

The climate:

The climate of Qatar is desert, hot in summer, warm in winter, and there is rarely rain.

Major cities :

Doha (the capital), Al Wakrah, Al Khor, Dukhan, Al Shamal, Mesaieed, Ras Laffan and others.

Currency :

Qatari Riyal (1 riyal = 100 dirhams).

The riyal is linked to the US dollar (US $ = 3.65 Qatari riyals).

National Day :

It is celebrated on the eighteenth of December every year, in commemoration of Sheikh "Jassim Bin Muhammad Al Thani" - the founder of the State of Qatar.

Public holidays :

National Day, December 18 of each year.

Eid Al-Fitr, from 28 Ramadan to Shawwal 4 (according to the Hijri calendar).

Eid al-Adha, five days from 9 to 13 Dhu al-Hijjah (according to the Hijri calendar).

National Sports Day, on Tuesday of the second week of February every year.

Flag of the State of Qatar :

The national flag of the State of Qatar has a bright red color, pierced by a white color, and it has nine heads pierced in the burgundy part.

Official working hours :

Ministries and government departments: from seven in the morning until two in the afternoon.

Private companies and institutions: from eight in the morning to twelve in the afternoon, and from four in the afternoon to eight in the evening.

The official weekend in Qatar is on Friday and Saturday.

Local time :

Three hours added to Greenwich Mean Time.

Electric current :

240 volts at 50 Hz. Plugs: 3-pin square pin socket, and 2-pin round pin socket.