The World’s Longest Bridge

Two of the Middle East’s most promising economies will soon be joined together by the world’s longest bridge. The Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway is set to begin construction later this year.

Spanning roughly 24 miles, the causeway would take nine hours to walk across and is the equivalent of 536 Boeing 747s lying end-to-end.

The $2.3 billion bridge, which includes a railroad, is expected to take five years to construct.  Once completed, 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles will use it daily to cut what’s now a four-and-a-half-hour drive to a mere 40 minutes.

A stronger connection between the two nations should be a catalyst for business activity. Qatar’s 9.5 percent GDP growth in 2009 was the fastest in the world and the country currently ranks as the second richest in the world in terms of GDP per capita ($122,000).

Already a banking center of the Arab world, the causeway should aide Bahrain in its efforts to diversify the country’s economy away from oil and natural gas. In recent years, Bahrain has worked to expand trade with both the United States and surrounding countries in the Middle East, including Qatar.

About Frank Holmes 282 Articles

Affiliation: U.S. Global Investors

Frank Holmes is CEO and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors, Inc., which manages a diversified family of mutual funds and hedge funds specializing in natural resources, emerging markets and infrastructure.

The company’s funds have earned more than two dozen Lipper Fund Awards and certificates since 2000. The Global Resources Fund (PSPFX) was Lipper’s top-performing global natural resources fund in 2010. In 2009, the World Precious Minerals Fund (UNWPX) was Lipper’s top-performing gold fund, the second time in four years for that achievement. In addition, both funds received 2007 and 2008 Lipper Fund Awards as the best overall funds in their respective categories.

Mr. Holmes was 2006 mining fund manager of the year for Mining Journal, a leading publication for the global resources industry, and he is co-author of “The Goldwatcher: Demystifying Gold Investing.”

He is also an advisor to the International Crisis Group, which works to resolve global conflict, and the William J. Clinton Foundation on sustainable development in nations with resource-based economies.

Mr. Holmes is a much-sought-after conference speaker and a regular commentator on financial television. He has been profiled by Fortune, Barron’s, The Financial Times and other publications.

Visit: U.S. Global Investors

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