2002 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2002 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
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. Possessing minimal oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining, and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The new amir is pushing economic and political reforms, and has worked to improve relations with the Shi'a community. In February 2001, Bahraini voters approved a referendum on the National Action Charter - the centerpiece of the amir's political liberalization program.
Geography
Area
total: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 665 sq km
Area - comparative
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Coastline
161 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
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; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
Geographic coordinates
26 00 N, 50 33 E
Irrigated land
50 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 5% permanent crops: 4% other: 91% (1998 est.)
Location
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Map references
Middle East
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Natural hazards
periodic droughts; dust storms
Natural resources
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
Terrain
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 29.2% (male 97,022; female 94,605) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 261,919; female 182,727) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 10,230; female 9,894) (2002 est.)
Birth rate
19.53 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
3.95 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Ethnic groups
Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Languages
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Life expectancy at birth
75.96 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 2.75 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.5% male: 91.6% female: 84.2% (2002 est.)
Nationality
noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini
Net migration rate
1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Population
656,397 note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate
1.67% (2002 est.)
Religions
Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.43 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.29 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
12 municipalities (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, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah note: all municipalities administered from Manama
Capital
Manama
Constitution
adopted late December 2000; Bahrani voters approved on 13-14 February 2001 a referendum on legislative changes (revised constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary)
Country name
Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 321, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone:
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Khalifa bin Ali bin Rashid AL KHALIFA chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York telephone: [1] (202) 342-0741
Executive branch
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969) head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since NA 1971) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Flag description
red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side
Government type
constitutional hereditary monarchy
Independence
15 August 1971 (from UK)
International organization participation
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Judicial branch
High Civil Appeals Court
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; appointed Advisory Council established 16 December 1992; the National Action Charter created a bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum of 14 February 2001
National holiday
National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection
Political parties and leaders
political parties prohibited but politically oriented nongovernment organizations are allowed
Political pressure groups and leaders
Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97, demanding the return of an elected National Assembly and an end to unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active
Suffrage
none
Economy
Agriculture - products
fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Budget
revenues: $1.8 billion expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (2002 est.)
Currency
Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Currency code
BHD
Debt - external
$2.8 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient
$48.4 million (1995)
Electricity - consumption
5,361.45 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production
5.765 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Exchange rates
Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.3760 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)
Exports
$5.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners
India 8.4%, US 3.9%, Saudi Arabia 3.4%, Japan 2.8%, South Korea 2.1% (2000)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $8.4 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 1% industry: 35% services: 64% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $13,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities
crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners
Saudi Arabia 28.7%, US 12.5%, UK 6.6%, France 6%, Japan 4% (2000)
Industrial production growth rate
2% (2000 est.)
Industries
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.5% (2001 est.)
Labor force
295,000 (1998 est.) note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
industry, commerce, and service 79%, government 20%, agriculture 1% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
15% (1998 est.)
Communications
Internet country code
.bh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
105,000 (2001)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
338,000 (1997)
Telephone system
general assessment: modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)
Telephones - main lines in use
152,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular
58,543 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
4 (1997)
Televisions
275,000 (1997)
Transportation
Airports
4 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Heliports
1 (2001)
Highways
3,164 km paved: 2,433 km unpaved: 731 km note: a paved causeway links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Merchant marine
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 270,784 GRT/384,561 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, container 2, includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Kuwait 1 (2002 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km
Ports and harbors
Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Railways
0 km
Waterways
none
Military and Security
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$526.2 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
6.7% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 222,572 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 121,955 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age
15 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 5,926 (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none This page was last updated on 1 January 2002 Barbados