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. Sheikh HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, who came to power 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 Sheikh HAMAD's political liberalization program. In February 20reconstituted bicameral legislature, the National Assembly.

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

26 00 N, 50 33 E

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

0 km

161 km

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

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

mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

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

oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls

arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 5.63%
other: 91.55% (2005)

40 sq km (2003)

periodic droughts; dust storms

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

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

698,585
note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 27.4% (male 96,567/female 94,650)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 280,272/female 202,451)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 12,753/female 11,892) (2006 est.)

total: 29.4 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 25.8 years (2006 est.)

1.45% (2006 est.)

17.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

4.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.38 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.26 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 16.8 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 74.45 years
male: 71.97 years
female: 77 years (2006 est.)

2.6 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.2% (2001 est.)

less than 600 (2003 est.)

less than 200 (2003 est.)

noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini

Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

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

Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

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

conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun

constitutional hereditary monarchy

Manama

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, Juzur Hawar, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama

15 August 1971 (from UK)

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

new constitution 14 February 2002

based on Islamic law and English common law

18 years of age; universal

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 in September 2006)
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Sunni Islamists 12, Shia grouping 7, other groupings and independents 21
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

High Civil Appeals Court

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of Bahrain's 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 2005 Bahrain and the US ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state.

$14.11 billion (2005 est.)

$11.3 billion (2005 est.)

5.9% (2005 est.)

$20,500 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 42.5%
services: 56.9% (2005 est.)

380,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.)

agriculture: 1%
industry: 79%
services: 20% (1997 est.)

15% (2005 est.)

2.7% (2005 est.)

14.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $4.662 billion
expenditures: $3.447 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.)

51.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

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

2% (2000 est.)

7.345 billion kWh (2003)

6.83 billion kWh (2003)

188,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

26,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

124 million bbl (2005 est.)

9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.)

9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.)

92.03 billion cu m (2005)

$1.569 billion (2005 est.)

$11.17 billion (2005 est.)

petroleum and petroleum products, aluminium, textiles

Saudi Arabia 3%, US 2.9%, UAE 2.2% (2004)

$7.83 billion (2005 est.)

crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Saudi Arabia 32.4%, Japan 7.3%, Germany 6.1%, US 5.6%, UK 5.4%, France 4.8% (2004)

$2.433 billion (2005 est.)

$6.831 billion (2005 est.)

$150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE and Kuwait (2002)

Bahraini dinar (BHD)

calendar year

191,600 (2004)

649,800 (2004)

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 - 1 (1997)

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

4 (1997)

.bh

1,952 (2005)

152,700 (2005)

3 (2005)

total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)

1 (2005)

gas 20 km; oil 53 km (2004)

total: 3,498 km
paved: 2,768 km
unpaved: 730 km (2003)

total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 235,449 GRT/339,728 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 4 (India 1, Kuwait 3) (2005)

Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Bahrain Defence Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defence), Navy, Air Force, National Guard