Which Persian Gulf country is the smallest by land area?

Bahrain is an archipelagic nation (a series of islands) in the Persian Gulf, situated east of Saudi Arabia and north of Qatar. The main island of Al Bahrayn accounts for about 83% of the country's territory. In all, the nation has total area of just 300 square miles (780 km2); about four times the size of Washington, D.C. Not only is it the smallest country on the Persian Gulf, it’s also the third smallest country in Asia, behind the Maldives and Singapore.

Bahrain was originally made up of 33 islands, in August 2018 that number had climbed To 84, after extensive land reclamation projects increased the country’s area by 38 square miles (98 km2). Bahrain does not share land borders with any other country, but it is connected to Saudi Arabia by a series of bridges and causeways.

Most of the ethnically diverse population lives in the northern part of the main island. The capital and largest city is Manama; the spoken language is Arabic.

Bahrain is known for its subtropical climate, desert vegetation, lots of sand, date palms, and camels. Popular leisure activities include Formula One, camel, and horse racing (three separate sports). The country also is home to “Dive Bahrain”, the largest underwater theme park in the world.

Many important petroleum fields of the Middle East surround Bahrain. The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), discovered oil in 1931 and production began the following year.