Bahrain (/b?:'reIn/ (i) bah-RAYN, /baex'reIn/; Arabic: ???????, romanized: al-Bahrayn, locally [ael bah're:n] (i)), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain,[a] is an island country in West Asia.The current population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the latest United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals.[2] Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi),[13] and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.[14] The capital and largest city is Manama.It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 per cent of the country's landmass.