1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Coastline
161 km
Comparative area
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Continental shelf
not specific;
Disputes
territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands
Environment
subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted (requires development of desalination facilities); dust storms; desertification
Land boundaries
none
Land use
2% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 90% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish
Note
proximity to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources and strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world's crude oil must transit to reach open ocean
Terrain
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Territorial sea
3 nm
Total area
620 km2; land area: 620 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
3 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
63% Bahraini, 13% Asian, 10% other Arab, 8% Iranian, 6% other
Infant mortality rate
19 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; 85% industry and commerce, 5% agriculture, 5% services, 3% government (1982)
Language
Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu
Life expectancy at birth
71 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Literacy
40%
Nationality
noun--Bahraini(s); adjective--Bahraini
Net migration rate
8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in only eight major designated companies
Population
520,186 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Religion
Muslim (70% Shia, 30% Sunni)
Total fertility rate
4.1 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
11 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 Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
Capital
Manama
Communists
negligible
Constitution
26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
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 Shaikh Isa Road, Manama (mailing address is P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York 09526); telephone [973] 714151 through 714153
Elections
none
Executive branch
amir, crown prince and heir apparent, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side
Independence
15 August 1971 (from UK)
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,
Legal system
based on Islamic law and English common law
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet
Long-form name
State of Bahrain
Member of
Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
National holiday
National Day, 16 December
Political parties and pressure groups
political parties prohibited; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active
Suffrage
none
Type
traditional monarchy
Economy
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
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $28 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion
Budget
revenues $1,136 million; expenditures $1,210 million, including capital expenditures of $294 million (1987)
Currency
Bahraini dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils
Electricity
1,652,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced, 12,800 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1--0.3760 (fixed rate)
Exports
$2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%; partners--US, UAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia
External debt
$1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$3.5 billion, per capita $7,550 (1987); real growth rate 0% (1988)
Imports
$2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%; partners--UK, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate - 3.1% (1987)
Industries
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.3% (1988)
Overview
The oil price decline in recent years has had an adverse impact on the economy. Petroleum production and processing account for about 85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP. In 1986 soft oil-market conditions led to a 5% drop in GDP, in sharp contrast wit the 5% average annual growth rate during the early 1980s. The slowdown in economic activity, however, has helped to check the inflation of the 1970s. The government's past economic diversification efforts have moderated the severity of the downturn but failed to offset oil and gas revenue losses.
Unemployment
8-10% (1989)
Communications
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
Civil air
24 major transport aircraft
Highways
200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km natural surface tracks
Merchant marine
1 cargo and 1 bulk (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,621 GRT/44,137 DWT
Pipelines
crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km
Ports
Mina Salman, Mina al Manamah, Sitrah
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army (Defense Force), Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Defense expenditures
5% of GDP, or $194 million (1990 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 183,580; 102,334 fit for military service