Map of Bahrain | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Possessing minimal oil reserves Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The new amir is pushing economic and political reforms and has worked to improve relations with the Shi'a community.


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Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total area total: 620 km²
Land: 620 km²
Comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 161 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

Elevation

Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 2%
Meadows and pastures: 6%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 90%

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean


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Population: 575,925 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 2.58% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Bahraini(s)
Adjective: Bahraini

Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%, other 6%

Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Religions: Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 31% (female 87,398; male 89,976)
15-64 years: 67% (female 152,363; male 231,586)
65 years and over: 2% (female 7,051; male 7,551) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.58% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 24.12 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 3.31 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.95 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; no natural fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water are the only sources for all water needs
Current issues natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms
Current issues international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.94 years
Male: 71.46 years
Female: 76.49 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.12 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
Total population: 84%
Male: 89%
Female: 77%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: State of Bahrain
Conventional short form: Bahrain
Local long form: Dawlat al Bahrayn
Local short form: Al Bahrayn

Government type: traditional monarchy

Capital: Manama

Administrative divisions: 12 districts (manatiq, singular - mintaqah; Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa'wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 16 December (1961)

Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973

Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch
Chief of state: Amir ISA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since 2 November 1961); Heir Apparent HAMAD bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (son of the Amir, born 28 January 1950)
Head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since 19 January 1970)
Cabinet: Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet; appointed Advisory Council established 16 December 1992

Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad ABD AL-GHAFFAR al-Abdallah
In the us chancery: 3,502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 342-0741, 342-0742
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David M. RANSOM
From the us embassy: Building No. 979, Road 3,119 (next to Ahli Sports Club), Zinj District, Manama
From the us mailing address: FPO AE 9,834-5,100; P.O. Box 26,431, Manama (International Mail)
From the us telephone: [973] 273,300; afterhours [973] 275-126
From the us FAX: [973] 272,594

Flag description: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tiny in area, Bahrain is well-to-do in economic resources and per capita income. Petroleum production and processing account for about 80% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil since 1985, for example, during and following the Gulf crisis of 1990-91. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude. Prospects for 1995 are good, with private enterprise the main driving force, e.g., in banking and construction. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.2% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $12,100 (1994 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP; not self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector produces fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, fish

Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing

Industrial production growth rate: 13% (1992; accounts for 38% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 140,000
By occupation industry and commerce: 85%
By occupation agriculture: 5%
By occupation services: 5%
By occupation government: 3% (1982)
Note: 42% of labor force is Bahraini

Unemployment rate: 15% (1991 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.2 billion (1989)
Expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $3.69 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum and petroleum products 80%, aluminum 7%
Partners: Japan 11%, UAE 5%, South Korea 4%, India 4%, Saudi Arabia 3% (1992)

Imports: $3.83 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
Partners: Saudi Arabia 47%, UK 7%, Japan 7%, US 6%, Germany 5% (1992)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.6 billion (1993)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1 - 0.3760 (fixed rate)


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Electricity
Capacity: 1,050,000 kW
Production: 3.3 billion kWh
Production consumption per capita: 5,453 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 98,000 telephones; 170 telephones/1000 persons; modern system; good domestic services; excellent international connections
Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 ARABSAT earth station; tropospheric scatter to Qatar, UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $247 million, 5.5% of GDP (1994)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2438 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 79,949 GRT/120,900 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 4, chemical tanker 1

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands; maritime boundary with Qatar

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs