State of Bahrain - an island country in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia; oil revenues funded progressive programs until reserves were exhausted in 1970sArab League - an international organization of independent Arab states formed in 1945 to promote cultural and economic and military and political and social cooperation Gulf States - the countries in southwestern Asia that border the Persian Gulf Asia - the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to Europe on the west to form Eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations |