Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad (Hamad Town) (Arabic: مدينة حمد) is a city in northern Bahrain. It was a municipality of Bahrain in the central part of the country. It was split off of the municipality of Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah in 1991. Its territory is now in the Northern Governorate. Its name refers to the current king of Bahrain, Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah.
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[edit] History
Hamad Town was setup in 1984 as a 'housing town', where the government built council houses for those who could not afford the ever increasing house prices in other parts of the country. In 1990 the government opened the door of Bahrain to the Kuwaiti people who were suffering from the effects of the gulf war with Iraq. It provided free houses and schools in Hamad Town allowed them to use the town’s facilities. The Kuwaitis returned home in early 1991 at the end of the war. In 2001 the government gave the council houses to the people of Hamad town for free.
[edit] Geography
Hamad Town is 18km from the capital Manama and 19km from the airport. It is close to the Sakheer area which contains the huge Formula 1 motor racing circuit (Bahrain International Circuit), which is the biggest circuit in the Middle East. Hamad Town is famous for its 28 roundabouts. Residential addresses are based on the number of the nearest roundabout.
[edit] Law and Government
Hamad Town is part of the North Governorate- one of five governorate of Bahrain.
Recent elections in the town saw Dr. Jasim Hassan become the regional MP, with his party narrowly scraping past the controversial clerical leader Boammar to take the seat in parliament.
[edit] Economy
The people of Hamad Town tend to go the capital Manama to work. Most of Hamad Town is a residential area but there is a large shopping centre called Sooq Waqif which contains lots of shops and provides some employment in Hamad Town itself.
[edit] Transport
Bahrain International Airport is located 19.7 km from Hamad Town.
[edit] Demographics
- Population ( 2001 ):166824.
- Density: 1204.16/km²
[edit] Neighbourhoods
Major areas close to Hamad Town:
[edit] Education
The University of Bahrain has its main campus in Hamad Town.
