SPAMfighter information about
Bahrain
| The data on this page is obtained from The World Factbook. |
 Communications information
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| SPAMfighters: | 504 |
| Internet users: | 152,700 (2005) |
| Internet hosts: | 2,165 (2006) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000) |
| Internet country code: | .bh |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 196,500 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 748,700 (2005) |
| Telephone system: |
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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios: | 338,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 4 (1997) |
| Televisions: | 275,000 (1997) |
 Geographical information
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| 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 land: 665 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: |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 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: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 40 sq km (2003) |
| 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: 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, through which much of the Western world´s petroleum must transit to reach open ocean |
 People information
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| Population: |
698,585 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) |
| Age structure: |
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.) |
| Median age: |
total: 29.4 years male: 32.4 years female: 25.8 years (2006 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.45% (2006 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 17.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Death rate: | 4.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
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.) |
| Infant mortality rate: |
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.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 74.45 years male: 71.97 years female: 77 years (2006 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.6 children born/woman (2006 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: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini |
| 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: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.1% male: 91.9% female: 85% (2003 est.) |
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Governmental information
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| Country name: |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun |
| Government type: | constitutional hereditary monarchy |
| Capital: |
name: Manama geographic coordinates: 26 13 N, 50 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: |
5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor |
| 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: 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 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch |
| 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: 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 |
| Judicial branch: | High Civil Appeals Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Shi´a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests and marches, demanding that more power be vested in the elected Council of Representatives and that the government do more to decrease unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active |
| International organization participation: | 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador William T. MONROE embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 1724-2700 FAX: [973] 1727-0547 |
| 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 |
 Economical information
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| Economy - overview: | 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 United States ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the United States and a Gulf state. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $15.9 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $11.01 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 5.9% (2005 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $23,100 (2005 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 0.5% industry: 38.7% services: 60.8% (2005 est.) |
| Labor force: |
380,000 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 1% industry: 79% services: 20% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 15% (2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.7% (2005 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $4.662 billion expenditures: $3.447 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 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: | 7.345 billion kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 6.83 billion kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Oil - production: | 188,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 26,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day |
| Natural gas - production: | 9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $1.531 billion (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | $11.17 billion (2005 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles |
| Exports - partners: | Saudi Arabia 3.3%, United States 2.6%, UAE 2.3% (2005) |
| Imports: | $7.83 billion (2005 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | crude oil, machinery, chemicals |
| Imports - partners: | Saudi Arabia 36.4%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, United States 5.4%, UK 5%, UAE 4.1% (2005) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $2.432 billion (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $6.814 billion (2005 est.) |
| Currency (code): | Bahraini dinar (BHD) |
| Currency code: | BHD |
| Exchange rates: | Bahraini dinars per United States dollar - 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002), 0.376 (2001) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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Transportations information
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| Airports: | 3 (2006) |
| Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2006) |
| Pipelines: | gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006) |
| Roadways: |
total: 3,498 km paved: 2,768 km unpaved: 730 km (2003) |
| Merchant marine: |
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: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2006) |
| Ports and terminals: | Mina´ Salman, Sitrah |
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Military information
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| Military branches: | Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Navy, Air Force, National Guard |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Manpower available for military service: |
males age 18-49: 202,126 females age 18-49: 151,734 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 18-49: 161,372 females age 18-49: 125,488 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males age 18-49: 6,013 females age 18-49: 5,852 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $627.7 million (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 4.9% (2005 est.) |
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Information about transnational issues
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| Disputes - international: | none |
