Background: In 1782 the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. 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. Facing declining oil reserves Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa after coming to power in 1999 pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shi'a community and Shi'a political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq the largest Shi'a political society won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However Shi'a discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.

Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N 50 33 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 665 km²
Land: 665 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 161 km

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

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

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Extremes highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m

Natural resources: oil associated and nonassociated natural gas fish pearls

Land use
Arable land: 2.82%
Permanent crops: 5.63%
Other: 91.55% (2005)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (2003)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms

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

Population
Note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 1.392% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Bahraini
Adjective: Bahraini

Ethnic groups: Bahraini 62.4% non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

Languages: Arabic English Farsi Urdu

Religions: Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2% Christian 9% other 9.8% (2001 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 96,217/female 94,275)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 284,662/female 207,555)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 13,451/female 12,413) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 29.7 years
Male: 32.7 years
Female: 26.1 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.392% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 17.53 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

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; lack of freshwater resources groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.021 male/female
15-64 years: 1.372 male/female
65 years and over: 1.084 male/female
Total population: 1.255 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16.18 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 18.89 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.4 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.68 years
Male: 72.18 years
Female: 77.25 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.57 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 600 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86.5%
Male: 88.6%
Female: 83.6% (2001 census)

Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
Conventional short form: Bahrain
Local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
Local short form: Al Bahrayn
Former: Dilmun

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Manama
Geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions
Note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor

Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: National Day 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection

Constitution: adopted 14 February 2002

Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
Head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
Elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch
Elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December 2006 (next election to be held in 2010)
Election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11; note - seats by party as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8, al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4, unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1

Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF FAO G-77 GCC IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDB IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC LAS MIGA NAM OAPEC OIC OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI
In the us chancery: 3,502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111
In the us fax: [1] (202) 362-2,192
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador J. Adam ERELI
From the us embassy: Building #979, Road 3,119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama
From the us mailing address: PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 9,834-5,100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26,431, Manama
From the us telephone: [973] 1724-2,700
From the us fax: [973] 1727-0547

Flag description: red the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam

Economy overview: With its highly developed communication and transport facilities Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts over 70% of government revenues and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries) underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Unemployment especially among the young and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $17.91 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7.1% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $25,600 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.3%
Industry: 45%
Services: 54.6% (2006 est.)

Agriculture products: fruit vegetables; poultry dairy products; shrimp fish

Industries: petroleum processing and refining aluminum smelting iron pelletization fertilizers offshore banking insurance ship repairing tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

Labor force
Note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 1%
By occupation industry: 79%
By occupation services: 20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $4.894 billion
Expenditures: $4.516 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt: 31% of GDP (2006 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.1% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $21.12 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $1.918 billion (2006 est.)

Exports: $11.7 billion (2006 est.)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products aluminum textiles
Partners note: excludes oil exports (2006)

Imports: $8.565 billion (2006 est.)
Commodities: crude oil machinery chemicals
Partners: Saudi Arabia 37.6% Japan 6.8% US 6.2% UK 6.2% Germany 5.1% UAE 4.2% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.818 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $7.159 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $11.55 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $6.039 billion (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2006) 0.376 (2005) 0.376 (2004) 0.376 (2003) 0.376 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 8.187 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 7.614 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 10.27 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 10.27 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 88.26 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 193,300 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 898,900 (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system
Domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones
International: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .bh
Hosts: 2,413 (2007)
Users: 157,300 (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 4.5% (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Airports: 3 (2007)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006)

Roadways
Total: 3,498 km
Paved: 2,768 km
Unpaved: 730 km (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 220,264 GRT/314,289 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1
Foreign owned: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Mina' Salman Sitrah

Disputes international: none