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 Match 21   DB Rec# - 7,473  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :Bahrain 
Text          : 
                                     Bahrain 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia 
Map references: 
    Middle East 


Area: 
  total area: 
    620 sq km 
  land area: 
    620 sq km 
  comparative area: 
    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 
International disputes: 
    territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands; maritime boundary 
    with Qatar 
Climate: 
    arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers 
Terrain: 
    mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment 
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 sq km (1989 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; no natural fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water
 
    are the only sources for all water needs 
  natural hazards: 
    periodic droughts; dust storms 
  international agreements: 
    party to - Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer 
    Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity 
 
                                    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 
 
                                     People 
 
Population: 
    575,925 (July 1995 est.) 
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.) 
Population growth rate: 
    2.58% (1995 est.) 
Birth rate: 
    24.12 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Death rate: 
    3.31 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Net migration rate: 
    4.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Infant mortality rate: 
    18 deaths/1,000 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.) 
Nationality: 
  noun: 
    Bahraini(s) 
  adjective: 
    Bahraini 
Ethnic divisions: 
    Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%, other 6% 
Religions: 
    Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30% 
Languages: 
    Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu 
Literacy: 
    age 15 and over can read and write (1991) 
  total population: 
    84% 
  male: 
    89% 
  female: 
    77% 
Labor force: 
    140,000 
  by occupation: 
    industry and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 3% (1982)
 
  note: 
    42% of labor force is Bahraini 
 
                                   Government 


 
Names: 
  conventional long form: 
    State of Bahrain 
  conventional short form: 
    Bahrain 
  local long form: 
    Dawlat al Bahrayn 
  local short form: 
    Al Bahrayn 
Digraph: 
    BA 
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 
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 
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: 
    political parties prohibited; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic
 
    fundamentalist groups are active 
Member of: 
    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 US: 
  chief of mission: 
    Ambassador Muhammad ABD AL-GHAFFAR al-Abdallah 
  chancery: 
    3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 


  telephone: 
    [1] (202) 342-0741, 342-0742 
 
                                   Government 
  consulate(s) general: 
    New York 
US diplomatic representation: 
  chief of mission: 
    Ambassador David M. RANSOM 
  embassy: 
    Building No. 979, Road 3119 (next to Ahli Sports Club), Zinj District, 
    Manama 
  mailing address: 
    FPO AE 09834-5100; P.O. Box 26431, Manama (International Mail) 
  telephone: 
    [973] 273300; afterhours [973] 275-126 
  FAX: 
    [973] 272594 
Flag: 
    red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side 
 
                                     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. 
National product: 
    GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.1 billion (1994 est.) 
National product real growth rate: 
    2.2% (1994 est.) 
National product per capita: 
    $12,100 (1994 est.) 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 
    2% (1994 est.) 
Unemployment rate: 
    15% (1991 est.) 
Budget: 
  revenues: 
    $1.2 billion (1989) 
  expenditures: 
    $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992) 
Exports: 
    $3.69 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) 
  commodities: 
    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.) 
  commodities: 


    nonoil 59%, crude oil 41% 
  partners: 
    Saudi Arabia 47%, UK 7%, Japan 7%, US 6%, Germany 5% (1992) 
External debt: 
    $2.6 billion (1993) 
Industrial production: 
    growth rate 13% (1992); accounts for 38% of GDP, including petroleum 
Electricity: 
  capacity: 
    1,050,000 kW 
  production: 
    3.3 billion kWh 
  consumption per capita: 
    5,453 kWh (1993) 
Industries: 
    petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship
 
    repairing 
Agriculture: 
    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 
 
                                     Economy 
Economic aid: 
  recipient: 
    US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million; Western (non-US) 
    countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $45 million; OPEC 
    bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion 
Currency: 
    1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils 
Exchange rates: 
    Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1 - 0.3760 (fixed rate) 
Fiscal year: 
    calendar year 
 
                                 Transportation 
 
Railroads: 
    0 km 
Highways: 
  total: 
    2,670 km 
  paved: 
    2,010 km 
  unpaved: 
    660 km (1991 est.) 
Pipelines: 
    crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km 
Ports: 
    Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah 
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 
Airports: 
  total: 
    4 
  with paved runways over 3,047 m: 


    2 
  with paved runways under 914 m: 
    1 
  with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 
    1 
 
                                 Communications 
 
Telephone system: 
    98,000 telephones; 170 telephones/1,000 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 
Radio: 
  broadcast stations: 
    AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 
  radios: 
    60 million 
Television: 
  broadcast stations: 
    2 
  televisions: 
    21 million 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Branches: 
    Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Coast Guard, Police Force 
Manpower availability: 
    males age 15-49 210,725; males fit for military service 117,414; males reach
 
    military age (15) annually 4,346 (1995 est.) 
Defense expenditures: 
    exchange rate conversion - $247 million, 5.5% of GDP (1994) 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996