map of Qatar, Bahrain.ogf2

Qatar

    Qatar has developed itself from being a poor pearl fishing country, to one among the richest Gulf states, due to the exploitation of oil and gas fields since 1940.

Majority of the country is covered by sand dunes and salt flats. The City of Doha is a rich mixture of traditional Arabic combined with modern architecture. Among those that are particularly interesting, are The Grand Mosque with numerous domes and the Abu Bakir al-Siddiq Mosque. The north has quite a few historic sites, such as Umm Salal Mohammed, which is a large village conquered by the ruins of 19th century fort.

Capital is Doha.

Currency: Qatari Riyal (QR)

Bahrain

    The Kingdom of Bahrain is a Middle Eastern archipelago in the Persian Gulf, tucked into a pocket of the sea flanked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It's an oasis of liberalism – or at least Western-friendly moderation – among the Muslim countries of the region.

It's popular with travelers for its authentic "Arabness" but without the strict application of Islamic law upon its non-Muslim minority. Case in point: alcohol is legal here. Although it has a heavily petroleum-based economy, its more relaxed culture has also made it a social and shopping mecca (so to speak), which has helped it develop a fairly cosmopolitan middle class not found in neighboring countries with just a rich elite and subsistence-level masses.

Capital is Manama.

Currency: Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Climate: Summer (June to September) is extremely hot and intensely humid. Winter is cooler with occasional rainfall. Spring and autumn are warm and pleasant.