Country Profiles: Bahrain

Bahrain is located in the Middle East. Originally held by the Persians, Bahrain eventually became a British protectorate, but it gained independence in 1971. With an area of 760 sq km, Bahrain is 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.


Bahrain is an archipelago in the Persian Gulf. It is mostly low desert plains that rise gently to low central escarpment.





People who live in Bahrain are called Bahraini, which is also the adjective used to describe items from that country. As of July 2011, there are 1,214,705 people in Bahrain. The official language of Bahrain is Arabic, though English, Farsi, and Urdu are also spoken there. Most Bahraini are Muslim (81%), and some are Christian (9%).


The country's official name is Kingdom of Bahrain. The capital is Manama, and the country is divided into five governorates. The Bahrain constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current king of Bahrain is King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Information about the leaders of Bahrain's government can be found here. The currency in Bahrain is the Bahraini dinar (abbreviated BHD), which stands at .376 BHD per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Bahrain, CIA World Factbook

Bahrain, U.S. Department of State

Bahrain 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is located in the Middle East. Azerbaijan was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920 and regained independence in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. With an area of 86,600 sq km, Azerbaijan is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maine.


Azerbaijan is bordered by Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey. Azerbaijan is large and flat with mountains in the north.





People who live in Azerbaijan are called Azerbaijani, which is also the adjective used to describe an item from this country. The population is composed mostly of Azeri (90.6%), with some Dagestani (2.2%), Russian (1.8%), and Armenian (1.5%). The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani (90.3%), though Lezgi (2.2%), Russian (1.8%), and Armenian (1.5%) are also spoken. The population is mostly Muslim (93.4%), with some Russian Orthodox (2.5%) and Armenian Orthodox (2.3%).


The country's official name is Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital is Baku, and the country is divided into 59 rayons, 11 cities, and 1 autonomous republic. The Azerbaijani Constitution was drafted in 1978 and can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president is Ilham Aliyev. Information about the leaders of the Azerbaijan government can be found here. The currency is the Azerbaijani manats (abbreviated AZN), which stands at .8035 AZN per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Azerbaijan Government Site

President of Azerbaijan Site

Azerbaijan, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Azerbaijan, U.S. Department of State

Azerbaijan 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Armenia

Armenia is located in the Middle East. Armenia, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, prides itself as being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (sometime early in the 4th century). With an area of 29,743 sq km, Armenia is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maryland.

Armenia shares a border with Azerbaijan-proper, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey. It is mostly mountainous with a little forest land and fast flowing rivers. The Aras River valley provides Armenia with rich soil.





People who live in Armenia are called Armenians, which is also the adjective used to describe any items from this country. As of July 2011, there are about 2.97 million people in Armenia. 97.9% of the population is Armenian, but Yezidi and Russian peoples also inhabit the area. The official language of Armenia is Armenian, though there are some speakers of Yezidi and Russian. The main religion is Armenian Apostolic (94.7%), with some other forms of Christianity (4%) and Yezidi (a monotheistic religions with elements of nature worship - 1.3%).

The country's official name is Republic of Armenia. The capital is Yerevan, and the country is made up of 11 provinces. Though Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in September of 1991, a constitution did not come into effect until July 1995. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president is Serzh Sargsian. Information about the leaders of Armenia can be found here. The currency is drams (abbreviated AMD), which stands at 374.29 AMD per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

The Government of the Republic of Armenia Site

Armenia, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Armenia, U.S. Department of State

Armenia 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Face the Nation (5/22/11)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban Studies, Engineering