It's hot. How hot? Hot as Bahrain!

Yeah, got my first-time visitor from Bahrain last night. I'm actually doing pretty well in the Middle East. Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Palestine (not a country, but Google thinks it is), Iraq and Iran all have checked in. I'd have to do a search to see about others, but that sounds like too much work, so let's just focus on Bahrain, shall we, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Offiicially the Kingdom of Bahrain, Bahrain is

a small island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago with Bahrain Island, the largest land mass, at 55 km (34 mi) long by 18 km (11 mi) wide. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway while Iran lies 200 km (124 mi) to the north across the Persian Gulf. The peninsula of Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain. The population in 2010 stood at 1,234,571, including 666,172 non-nationals.

The archipelago -- everyone should work that word into a conversation today -- looks like this:

 Bahrain is described as "the first post-oil economy in the Persian Gulf because the Bahraini economy does not rely on oil anymore. Oil was discoverd and exploited in the 1930s, giving the country great wealth, but Bahrain shifted its focus to banking and tourism in the late 20th century. The country was designated by the U.S. as a major non-NATO ally in 2001 and now is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet and serves as the headquarters for the naval commander for Central Command, the U.S. regional command for the Middle East, so the visitor is probably a U.S. sailor looking for pr0n.

Tourism? Sure. It's purdy:

So let's extend a big Eff You welcome to Bahrain. Y'all come back soon, and bring your friends.