Manama (Arabic: الْمَنَامَة el-Menâme, Bahrani pronunciation: [is Bahrain’s capital and largest city, with an estimated population of 200,000 as of 2020. Manama has long been an important trading center on the Persian Gulf, with a diversified population. Following centuries of Portuguese and Persian administration, as well as a brief invasion by Saudi Arabia’s reigning dynasty, followed by a lengthier invasion by Oman, Bahrain declared independence in 1971 after a period of British hegemony.