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Bahrain
Background :
In 1783, 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 Shia community. Shia political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shia discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.
Location :
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Geographic Coordinates Center :
26 00 N, 50 33 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 50.45 |
| North | 26.28 |
| East | 50.66 |
| South | 25.80 |
Map references :
Middle East
Area :
| total | 741 | square km |
| land | 741 | square km |
| water | 0 | square km |
Coastline :
161.00 km
Climate :
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain :
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 122 | metres |
Natural resources :
| fish | natural gas |
| oil | pearls |
Land use :
| arable land | 2.82 | % |
| permanent crops | 5.63 | % |
| other | 91.55 | % |
Irrigated land :
40 square km
Total renewable water resources :
0 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| dust storms | periodic droughts |
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 :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Wetlands |
Population :
728 709
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.29 | % |
| Birth rate | 17.01 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.50 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 4.29 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 0.20 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 25.90 | % |
| 15-64 years | 70.10 | % |
| 65 years and over | 4.00 | % |
Median age :
| total | 30.10 | years |
| male | 33.20 | years |
| female | 26.70 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.34 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 1.12 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.24 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 15.09 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 75.19 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 72.67 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 77.78 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.20 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 600 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 200 |
Religions :
| Muslim | 81.20 | % |
| Christian | 9.00 | % |
| other | 9.80 | % |
Languages :
| Arabic | |
| English | |
| Persian | |
| Urdu |
Literacy :
| total population | 86.50 | % |
| male | 88.60 | % |
| female | 83.60 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | BH |
| ISO Numeric | 48 |
| ISO3 | BHR |
| FIPS | BA |
| ccTLD | bh |
| English | Bahrain |
Administrative divisions :
5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat|
Capital :
| name | Manama |
| geographic coordinates | 26 14 N, 50 34 E |
| time difference | 3.00 |
International organization participation :
| ABEDA | AFESD |
| AMF | FAO |
| G-77 | GCC |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICC |
| ICCt (signatory) | ICRM |
| IDA | IDB |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| IHO | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM (observer) | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | LAS |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OAPEC | OIC |
| OPCW | PCA |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1971-08-15
National holiday :
| National Day | 1971-12-16 |
| Indepedence from Soviet Union | 1971-12-16 |
Executive branch :
| King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa | Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al-Khalifa |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 28 000 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 19 360 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.90 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 38 400 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 0.50 | % |
| industry | 58.00 | % |
| services | 41.50 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 1.00 | % |
| industry | 79.00 | % |
| services | 20.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 15.00 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.00 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 27.00 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | 1 808 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 3 465 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 10 870 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 10 040 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 16 180 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 21 180 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 4.50 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 30.10 | % of GDP |
Budget :
| revenues | 5 809 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 5 860 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| dairy | fish |
| fruits | poultry |
| shrimp | vegetables |
Industries :
| aluminum smelting | banking |
| fertilizer | insurance |
| iron | petroleum processing and refining |
| ship repairing | tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 10 250 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 10 100 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 48 520 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 38 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 238 300 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 228 400 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 124 600 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 12 640 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 12 640 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 92 030 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
12 500 000 000 $
Partners :
| India (in) | 4.00 | % |
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 3.40 | % |
| UAE | 2.20 | % |
Commodities :
| aluminum | petroleum and petroleum products |
| textiles |
Value :
10 370 000 000 $
Partners :
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 26.00 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 8.70 | % |
| United States (us) | 7.60 | % |
| China (cn) | 6.00 | % |
| Germany (de) | 4.70 | % |
| South Korea | 4.60 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 4.40 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | machinery |
| petroleum |
Currency-code :
BHD
Currency-name :
Bahraini dinar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 220 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 400 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 3 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 4 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | bh | |
| Internet Hosts | 51 489 | |
| Internet Users | 402 900 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 3 | |
| Heliports | 1 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 20 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 32 | km |
| Roadways - total | 3 851 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 3 121 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 730 | km |
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