Question #1

Question #1:

Official name:

• Kingdom of Bahrain. "In 1783, the Sunni Al-Khalifa family took power in Bahrain"
• Known as Awal Islands in the pre-Islamic age of idolatry

Location/Geography:

• Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
• 760 sq km (3.5 times the size of Washington DC)

Climate:

• arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Environment-current issues:

• desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; 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; lack of freshwater resources (groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs)

Natural Resources:

• oil, associated and non associated natural gas, fish, pearls 

Major Geographical Features:

• Ahmed Alfateh Islamic Center- AlJuffair, Manama, Bahrain
• Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain Fort)- Karbabad, Capital Governorate, Bahrain
• Bab Al Bahrain- Manama Souq, Manama 304, Bahrain
• Bahrain National Museum- Al Fatih Hwy, Manama, Bahrain
• Beit Al Quran- Diplomatic Area, Manama, Bahrain
• Arad Fort- Hidd, Bahrain

Ahmed Alfateh Islamic Center:

"The mission of Ahmed Al-Fetah Islamic Center is to facilitate and promote accurate knowledge of Islam while presenting the Kingdom of Bahrain as a modernized tolerant Islamic country where a diverse and multicultural community enjoys living together in peace." 

Mission is achieved by doing the following:

• Attracting prominent Islamic scholars to deliver lectures and hold seminars and conferences
• Building bridges of understanding and cooperation with the non-Muslim residents, tourists and visitors
• Teaching different Qur'anic sciences and producing qualified imams and muazzins
• Arranging various types of ceremonies related to Qur'anic competitions as well as other religious events. 

http://www.alfateh.gov.bh/mission.html 

Qal'at al-Bahrain:

• archaeological site of a port which was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization, and served more recently as a Portuguese fort. 
• "an artificial mound created by many successive layers of human occupation" (world heritage site).

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/qalatalbahrain.html