Bahrain is a small Arab monarchy in the Persian Gulf. It is an island country consisting of a small archipelago centered around Bahrain Island, situated between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the 25 km (16 mi) King Fahd Causeway. Bahrain's population is 1,234,567 (c. 2010), including 666,172 non-nationals. It is 780 sq. km in size, making it the third smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.