Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 620 sq km land: 620 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: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined territorial sea: 12 nm
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 nonassociated natural gas, fish
Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 0% other: 92% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 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; no natural fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water 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 which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30% (male 96,240; female 93,846) 15-64 years: 67% (male 252,767; female 173,072) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,270; female 8,942) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.78% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 20.61 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 3.89 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.46 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.3 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.98 years male: 70.58 years female: 75.45 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.82 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini
Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim 25%
Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.2% male: 89.1% female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
Data code: BA
Government type: traditional 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)
Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: Amir 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 monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
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
Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited
Political pressure groups and leaders: Shi'a activists have fomented unrest sporadically since late 1994, 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, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Muhammad ABD AL-GHAFFAR Abdallah chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-0741 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Johnny YOUNG embassy: Building Number 979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 311, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; International Mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 273-300 FAX: [973] 272-594
Flag description: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.6 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $13,700 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 46% services: 53% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.5% (1998 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.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.5 billion expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)
Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (1995)
Electricity - production: 4.77 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 1.09 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Exports: $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 61%, aluminum 7%
Exports - partners: India 18%, Japan 11%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Korea 7%, UAE 5% (1997)
Imports: $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 45%, US 10%, UK 6%, Japan 5%, Germany 4% (1997)
Debt - external: $2 billion (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $48.4 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1 - 0.3760 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones - mobile cellular: 130,000 (1999 est.)
Telephone system: modern system; good domestic services and excellent international connections 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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 338,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1997)
Televisions: 275,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (1999)
Highways: total: 3,164 km paved: 2,433 km unpaved: 731 km (1998 est.) note: there is a paved causeway connecting Bahrain to Saudi Arabia
Pipelines: crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km
Ports and harbors: Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 228,273 GRT/304,654 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, container 2, petroleum tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 2 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
Military manpower - military age: 15 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 221,109 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 121,442 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 5,699 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $318 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.2% (FY99)