Bahrain




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle East, in the central Persian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and
     Qatar
Map references:
     Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
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:
     not specified
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 surface water resources; groundwater and sea
     water are the only sources for all water needs
natural hazards:
     periods of drought, dust storms
international agreements:
     party to - Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection;
     signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
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:
     585,683 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.96% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     26.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     3.83 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     6.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     19 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     73.51 years
male:
     71.1 years
female:
     76.05 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     3.96 children born/woman (1994 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 (1990 est.)




total population:
     77%
male:
     82%
female:
     69%
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:
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, IDB,
     ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC,
     ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
     UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Mohammad ABD al-GHAFFAR
chancery:
     3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 342-0741 or 342-0742
consulate(s) general:
     New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David S. ROBINS
embassy:
     Road No. 3119 (next to Alahli Sports Club), Zinj District, Manama
mailing address:
     FPO AE 09834-5100; P.O. Box 26431, Manama
telephone:
     [973] 273-300
FAX:
     (973) 272-594
Flag:
     red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side


                                  Economy


Overview:
     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.
     Bahrain with its highly developed communication and transport
     facilities 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 1994 are good, with private
     enterprise the main driving force, e.g., in banking and construction.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     4% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $12,000 (1993 est.)




Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     2% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     8%-10% (1989)
Budget:
revenues:
     $1.2 billion
expenditures:
     $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
     $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     petroleum and petroleum products 80%, aluminum 7%
partners:
     Japan 13%, UAE 12%, India 10%, Pakistan 8%, Singapore 6% (1991)
Imports:
     $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
partners:
     Saudi Arabia 42%, US 14%, UK 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 4% (1991)
External debt:
     $2.6 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 3.8% (1988); accounts for 44% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     1,600,000 kW
production:
     4.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     8,500 kWh (1992)
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
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


                              Communications




Highways:
total:
     NA
paved:
     bituminous 200 km
unpaved:
     NA
Pipelines:
     crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km
Ports:
     Mina' Salman, Manama, Sitrah
Merchant marine:
     6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 101,844 GRT/143,997 DWT, bulk 1,
     cargo 4, container 1
Airports:
total:
     3
usable:
     3
with permanent-surface runways:
     2
with runways over 3,659 m:
     2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     1
Telecommunications:
     modern system; good domestic services; 98,000 telephones (1 for every
     6 persons); excellent international connections; tropospheric scatter
     to Qatar, UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable
     to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic
     Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; broadcast stations
     - 2 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Police Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 198,414; fit for military service 109,431; reach
     military age (15) annually 5,093 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $245 million, 6% of GDP (1993)