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$Unique_ID{COW00286}
$Pretitle{385A}
$Title{Bahrain
Statistical Profile of Bahrain}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Central Intelligence Agency}
$Affiliation{United States Government}
$Subject{al
rate
bahraini
oil
government
km
bahrain
khalifa
million
}
$Date{1990}
$Log{National Anthem*50400010.aud
Map of Bahrain*0028601.scf
Flag of Bahrain*0028602.scf
}
Country: Bahrain
Book: CIA World Factbook
Author: Central Intelligence Agency
Affiliation: United States Government
Date: 1990
[Hear National Anthem]
[See Map of Bahrain]
[See Flag of Bahrain]
Statistical Profile of Bahrain
Geography
Total area: 620 km2; land area: 620 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas,
fish
Land use: 2% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 90% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted (requires
development of desalination facilities); dust storms; desertification
Note: proximity to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources
and strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world's
crude oil must transit to reach open ocean
People
Population: 496,759 (July 1989), growth rate 3.3% (1989)
Birth rate: 25 births/1,000 population (1989)
Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: 12 migrants/1,000 population (1989)
Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 75 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (1989)
Nationality: noun--Bahraini(s); adjective--Bahraini
Ethnic divisions: 63% Bahraini, 13% Asian, 10% other Arab, 8% Iranian, 6%
other
Religion: Muslim (70% Shia, 30% Sunni)
Language: Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu
Literacy: 40%
Labor force: 140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; 85% industry and
commerce, 5% agriculture, 5% services, 3% government (1982)
Organized labor: General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in only
eight major designated companies
Government
Long-form name: State of Bahrain
Type: traditional monarchy
Capital: Manama
Administrative divisions: 11 municipalities (baladiyat,
singular--baladiyah); 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 Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)
Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law
National holiday: National Day, 16 December
Branches: amir rules with help of Cabinet led by prime minister; Amir
Al Khalifa dissolved the National Assembly in August 1975 and suspended the
constitutional provision for election of the Assembly; independent judiciary
Leader:
Chief of State--Amir Isa bin Sulman Al KHALIFA (since
2 November 1961); Heir Apparent Hamad bin Isa Al KHALIFA (son of Amir)
(born 28 January 1950);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Khalifa bin Sulman Al KHALIFA,
(since 19 January 1970)
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Political parties and pressure groups: political parties prohibited;
several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active
Communists: negligible
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, IBRD, ICAO,
IDB--Islamic Development Bank, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ghazi Mohamed ALGOSAIBI; Chancery
at 3502 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 342-0741
or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Dr. Sam H. ZAKHEM; Embassy at Shaikh Isa Road, Manama
(mailing address is P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York 09526);
telephone [973] 714151 through 714153
Flag: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the
hoist side
Economy
Overview: The oil price decline in recent years has had an adverse
impact on the economy. Petroleum production and processing account for about
85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP. In 1986
soft oil-market conditions led to a 5% drop in GDP, in sharp contrast to the 5%
average annual growth rate during the early 1980s. The slowdown in economic
activity, however, has helped to check the inflation of the 1970s. The
government's past economic diversification efforts has moderated the severity of
the downturn, but failed to offset oil and gas revenue losses.
GDP: $3.5 billion, per capita $7,550 (1987); real growth rate 0% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 1.0% (1988 est.)
Unemployment: 3.2% (1987)
Budget: revenues $1,136 million; expenditures $1,210 million,
including capital expenditures of $294 million (1987)
Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities--petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%; partners--US,
UAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--nonoil 59%,
crude oil 41%; partners--UK, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan
External debt: $1.5 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate - 3.1% (1987)
Electricity: 1,552,000 kW capacity; 5,438 million kWh produced,
10,950 kWh per capita (1988)
Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting,
offshore banking, ship repairing
Agriculture: some fruit and vegetables; dairy and poultry farming;
shrimping and fishing; not self-sufficient in food production
Aid: NA
Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar
(BD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1--0.3760 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Highways: 250 km bituminous surfaced; undetermined kilometers of natural
surface tracks; includes 25 km bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in
November 1986
Ports: Mina Salman, Mina al Manamah, Sitrah
Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,621 GRT/44,137
DWT; includes 1 cargo, 1 bulk
Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent international telecommunications; adequate
domestic services; 98,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite
stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT;
tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia; submarine cable
to Qatar and UAE
Defense Forces
Branches: Army (Defense Force), Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 178,867; 99,987 fit for military service
Military budget: $149 million, 11.4% of central government budget (1988)