manama, bahrain's capital city, is as modern as other cities in the world. but life in the island's many villages (and in parts of manama itself) remains traditional. where there is tradition in the persian gulf area, there is islamic conservatism: women cover themselves from head to foot and women travellers are expected to wear long skirts and one-piece bathing suits. bahrain's population is 85% muslim and islam is the state religion. arabic is the official language, but many people speak english.