BAHRAIN
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 620 km2; land area: 620 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands
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%, includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment: subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted
(requires development of desalination facilities); dust storms;
desertification
Note: close to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources;
strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western
world's crude oil must transit to reach open ocean
PEOPLE
Population: 536,974 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 76 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 4.0 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Bahraini(s); adjective--Bahraini
Ethnic divisions: Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%,
Iranian 8%, other 6%
Religion: Muslim (Shia 70%, Sunni 30%)
Language: Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi,
Urdu
Literacy: 77% (male 82%, female 69%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; industry
and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 3% (1982)
Organized labor: General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in
only eight major designated companies
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: State of Bahrain
Type: traditional monarchy
Capital: Manama
Administrative divisions: 12 municipalities (baladiyat,
singular--baladiyah); 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)
Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law
National holiday: National Day, 16 December
Executive branch: amir, crown prince and heir apparent, prime
minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly was dissolved
26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet
Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Amir Isa bin Salman Al KHALIFA (since
2 November 1961); Heir Apparent Hamad bin Isa Al KHALIFA (son of Amir;
born 28 January 1950);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al KHALIFA,
(since 19 January 1970)
Political parties and pressure groups: political parties
prohibited; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist
groups are active
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Communists: negligible
Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD,
ICAO, IDB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ghazi Muhammad AL-QUSAYBI;
Chancery at 3502 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 342-0741 or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate General in
New York;
US--Ambassador Dr. Charles W. HOSTLER; Embassy at Building
No. 979, Road No. 3119, Block/Area 331, Manama ZINJ (mailing address is
P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York 09526-6210); telephone 973
273-300 or 275-126
Flag: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the
hoist side
ECONOMY
Overview: Petroleum production and processing account for
about 85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP.
Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil
since 1985, including the Gulf crisis of 1990-91. The liberation of
Kuwait in early 1991 has improved short- to medium-term prospects and
has raised investors' confidence. Bahrain with its highly developed
communication and transport facilities is home to numerous
multinational firms with business in the Gulf.
GDP: $3.9 billion, per capita $7,500; real growth rate 2.5%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989)
Unemployment: 8-10% (1989)
Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.32 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%;
partners--UAE, Japan, US, India
Imports: $3.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%;
partners--Saudi Arabia, Japan, US, UK
External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.8% (1988); accounts for
44% of GDP
Electricity: 1,652,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced,
12,080 kWh per capita (1989)
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, and fish;
fish catch 9,000 metric tons in 1987
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $35 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion
Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural--dinars); 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: 200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km
bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km
natural surface tracks
Ports: Mina Salman, Manama, Sitrah
Merchant marine: 4 cargo and 2 container (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 114,733 GRT/155,065 DWT
Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas,
32 km
Civil air: 24 major transport aircraft
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2
with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent international telecommunications;
adequate domestic services; 98,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM,
2 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE,
Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar and UAE
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Police Force
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 187,606; 104,285 fit for
military service
Defense expenditures: $194 million, 6% of GDP (1990)