[syn: Bahrain, State of Bahrain, Bahrein]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bahrain \Bahrain\ n.
1. an island in the Persian Gulf.
Syn: Bahrein.
[WordNet 1.5]
2. an island country in the Persian Gulf.
Syn: Bahrein.
[WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Bahrain
n 1: an island in the Persian Gulf [syn: Bahrain, Bahrain
Island, Bahrein, Bahrein Island]
2: an island country in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi
Arabia; oil revenues funded progressive programs until
reserves were exhausted in 1970s [syn: Bahrain, State of
Bahrain, Bahrein]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Bahrain
Introduction Bahrain
--------------------
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 Bahrain
-----------------
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
water: 0 sq km
land: 665 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
territorial sea: 12 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 nonassociated
natural gas, fish, pearls
Land use: arable land: 4.35%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 91.3% (1998 est.)
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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
People Bahrain
--------------
Population: 656,397
note: includes 228,424 non-nationals
(July 2002 est.)
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.)
Population growth rate: 1.67% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 19.53 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 3.95 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
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.)
Infant mortality rate: 19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.47 years
female: 75.96 years (2002 est.)
male: 71.05 years
Total fertility rate: 2.75 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini
Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab
10%, Iranian 8%
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 88.5%
male: 91.6%
female: 84.2% (2002 est.)
Government Bahrain
------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of
Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
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: 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)
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English
common law
Suffrage: none
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: 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
Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited but
politically oriented nongovernment
organizations are allowed
Political pressure groups and Shi'a activists fomented unrest
leaders: 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 ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA,
participation: 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
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
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald
US: 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;
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
Economy Bahrain
---------------
Economy - overview: In 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. Bahrain
is dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil
revenue granted as aid. 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.4
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $13,000
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 35%
services: 64% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
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.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $2.2 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$700 million (2002 est.)
Industries: petroleum processing and refining,
aluminum smelting, offshore banking,
ship repairing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 5.765 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 5,361.45 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy
products; shrimp, fish
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)
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)
Debt - external: $2.8 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $48.4 million (1995)
Currency: Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Currency code: BHD
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars per US dollar -
0.3760 (fixed rate pegged to the US
dollar)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Bahrain
----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 152,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 58,543 (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)
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 Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 105,000 (2001)
Transportation Bahrain
----------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: 3,164 km
paved: 2,433 km
unpaved: 731 km
note: a paved causeway links Bahrain
and Saudi Arabia
Waterways: none
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 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.)
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)
Military Bahrain
----------------
Military branches: Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF)
comprising Ground Force (includes
Air Defense), Navy, Air Force, Coast
Guard, Police Force, Amiri Guards,
National Guard
Military manpower - military age: 15 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 222,572 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 121,955 (2002 est.)
service:
Military manpower - reaching males: 5,926 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $526.2 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 6.7% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Bahrain
----------------------------
Disputes - international: none