Guide to 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
Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Elevation extremes: lowest point
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
Land use: arable land
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
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
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
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
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
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
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
Government Country name: conventional long form
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
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
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
Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited but politically oriented societies 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
International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Flag description: red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam
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 consist 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
Labor force: 370,000 note
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%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 12.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues
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 - production by source: fossil fuel
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: Saudi Arabia 3%, US 2.9%, UAE 2.2% (2004)
Imports: $5.87 billion (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 32.4%, Japan 7.3%, Germany 6.1%, US 5.6%, UK 5.4%, France 4.8% (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)
Currency code: 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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 338,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1997)
Televisions: 275,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bh
Internet hosts: 1,334 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 195,700 (2003)
Transportation Highways: total
Pipelines: gas 20 km; oil 53 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Merchant marine: total
Airports: 4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Heliports: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Military branches: Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $628.9 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.3% (2004)
Transnational Issues Disputes - international: none
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
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