Minimize Bahrain

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a small Arab monarchy in the Persian Gulf and in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an island country consisting of a small archipelago centered around Bahrain Island, situated between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the 25km King Fahd Causeway. It is 780km2 in size, making it the third smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.

Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilisation. It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to convert to Islam (AD 628). Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was occupied by the Portuguese in 1521, who in turn were expelled in 1602 by Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty under the Persian Empire. In 1783, the Bani Utbah clan captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur and it has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed Al Fateh as Bahrain's first emperor. In the late 1800s, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, Bahrain declared independence. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a Kingdom in 2002. In 2011, the country experienced protests inspired by the regional Arab Spring. Bahrain had the first post-oil economy in the Persian Gulf. Since the late 20th century, Bahrain has invested in the banking and tourism sectors. Many large financial institutions have a presence in Manama, the country's capital. Bahrain has a high Human Development Index and was recognised by the World Bank as a high income economy.

More information is available on Wikipedia

Kingdom of Bahrain

This week our tour stops over the Kingdom of Bahrain. The purpose of the images comparison acquired by Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 is to show the field of application and the different details, using the optical sensor and the radar sensor. With this family of new Sentinel satellites belonging to the Copernicus project, the European Space Agency wants to offer all users a new window for land monitoring.

Overlay image over Manama

Manama, is the capital and the largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 157,000 people. Long an important trading centre in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population. After periods of Portuguese and Persian control and invasions from the ruling dynasties of Saudi Arabia and Oman, Bahrain established itself as an independent nation during the 19th century period of British hegemony.

Manama-Sentinel-2Manama - Sentinel-1

View Sentinel large format slider

Overlay image over Durrat Al Bahrain

Durrat Al Bahrain, is the third largest artificial island in Bahrain after Northern City and Diyar Al Muharraq Islands. It has a distance of 40.5km and is situated at the south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. Durrat Al Bahrain islands include five-star hotels, an 18-hole golf course, 12 bridges, and a marina. The marina will span three of the islands and will cover a land area of approximately 0.7km2 with a cost of about US$1.3 billion. The marina is a joint venture between Durrat Khaleej Al Bahrain and Tameer and is one of the leading developers of GCC region. The marina development is the first of its type and size in the Middle East.

Durrat Al Bahrain Sentinel-2Durrat Al Bahrain - Sentinel-1

View Sentinel large format slider

View high resolution image (Optical) (JPG 4.6 MB)

View high resolution image (Radar) (JPG 10.8 MB)

Technical Information of original image
Product: Geo Tiff format
Satellite/Sensor: Sentinel-2A (Optical) and Sentinel-1A (ASAR)
Resolution: 10 metres (Optical) and 5 metres (Radar)
Acq. Date: 29 July 2017 & 19 September 2016
Band Combination used to create this image: 4, 3, 2 (R-G-B) Visible colour & Grayscale colour
Map of area

Back to top