Bahrain

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. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The new amir, installed in 1999, has pushed 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. In February 2002, Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa proclaimed himself king. In October 2002, Bahrainis elected members of the lower house of Bahrain's reconstituted bicameral legislature, the National Assembly.

Geography

Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 665 sq km; land: 665 sq km; water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 161 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm; contiguous zone: 24 nm; continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined

Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m; highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m

Natural resources: oil, associated and non-associated natural gas, fish, pearls

Land use: arable land: 2.82%;permanent crops: 5.63%;other: 91.55% (2001)

Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms

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: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: 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

People

Population: 688,345;note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.8% (male 96,807/female 94,863);15-64 years: 68.7% (male 275,792/female 197,424);65 years and over: 3.4% (male 12,078/female 11,381) (2005 est.)

Median age: total: 29.19 years; male: 32.16 years; female: 25.54 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.51% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 18.1 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 4.08 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female;15-64 years: 1.4 male(s)/female;65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female; total population: 1.27 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 17.27 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 20.17 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 14.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.23 years; male: 71.76 years; female: 76.78 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.63 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality: noun: Bahraini(s);adjective: Bahraini

Ethnic groups: Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

Religions: Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)

Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 89.1%;male: 91.9%;female: 85% (2003 est.)

Government

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

Government type: constitutional hereditary monarchy

Capital: Manama

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

Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)

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

Constitution: new constitution 14 February 2002

Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly elected to serve four-year terms)

elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next election to be held NA 2006)

election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 21, Sunni Islamists 9, other 10

note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14 February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25 December 2002

Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court

Economy

Economy - overview: In well-to-do Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. In September 2004 Bahrain signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States - the first such agreement undertaken by a Gulf state. Both countries must ratify the FTA before it is enforced.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $13.01 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.7%; industry: 41%;services: 58.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force: 370,000

note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry, commerce, and services 79%, government 20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA; highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed): 12.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget: revenues: $3.825 billion; expenditures: $3.262 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (2004 est.)

Public debt: 63.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 6.86 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - consumption: 6.379 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production: 44,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption: 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports: NA

Oil - imports: NA

Oil - proved reserves: 126 million bbl (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production: 32.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - consumption: 32.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves: 46 billion cu m (2004)

Current account balance: $586.1 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $8.205 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Exports - partners: US 3.1%, South Korea 2.3%, Japan 2% (2004)

Imports: $5.87 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 33.1%, Japan 7.6%, Germany 6.1%, US 5.7%, UK 5.6%, France 4.9% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.141 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external: $6.215 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from each of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait (2002)

Currency (code): Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002), 0.376 (2001), 0.376 (2000)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 185,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 443,100 (2003)

Telephone system: general assessment: modern system; domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones

international: country code - 973; 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (1997)

Internet country code: .bh

Internet hosts: 1,334 (2003)

Internet users: 195,700 (2003)

Transportation

Highways: total: 3,459 km; paved: 2,653 km; unpaved: 806 km (2002)