THREE REASONS WHY POPE FRANCIS IS TRAVELLING TO THE ISLAMIC KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN Located on a small group of islands off the Western coast of the Persian Gulf, Bahrain is home to an estimated one-and-a-half-million people, seventeen percent of whom are foreigners. A small Islamic kingdom, its capital city is Manama and its official language is Arabic. According to the 2001 census, 80% of the population are Muslim.