About Bahrain
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.
Bahrain Geography
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Location:
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Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
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Geographic coordinates:
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26 00 N, 50 33 E
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Map references:
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Middle East
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Area:
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total: 665 sq km
land: 665 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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161 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
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Climate:
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arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
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Terrain:
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mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
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Natural resources:
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oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 5.63%
other: 91.55% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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40 sq km (2003)
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; dust storms
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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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 |
Bahrain People >>>
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Population: |
708,573
note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2007 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 28.4% (male 97,179; female 95,043)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 271,015; female 192,342)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 11,426; female 10,881)
(2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
1.56% (2004 est.) |
Birth rate:
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18.54 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate: |
4.03 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate: |
1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.41 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.27 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Ethnic groups: |
Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%
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Religions: |
Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30% |
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Languages: |
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu |
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