Bahrain Overview Nations // Middle East/North Africa

Political and Security Environment Source: CIA World Factbook Country Background.  Bahrain was a British protectorate from the 1830s until independence was declared in 1971.  Previously, the kingdom had been a hereditary monarchy ruled by the al-Khalifa family since 1783, when  the family captured it from a Persian garrison, thus ending a century of rule by Persian settlers.  The kingdom was declared a constitutional monarchy in February 2002 and is now experimenting...