Bahrain

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

arable land:

4.35%

permanent crops:

4.35%

other:

91.3% (1998 est.)

• 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

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

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.)

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.)

noun:

Bahraini(s)

adjective:

Bahraini

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Bahrain

conventional short form:

Bahrain

local short form:

Al Bahrayn

former:

Dilmun

local long form:

Mamlakat al Bahrayn

• 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

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

• Shi'a activists fomented unrest 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Khalifa bin Ali bin Rashid AL KHALIFA

chancery:

3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general:

New York

FAX:

[1] (202) 362-2192

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-0741

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ronald 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

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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

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)

total:

3,164 km

paved:

2,433 km

unpaved:

731 km

note: a paved causeway links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

• crude oil 56 km;
• petroleum products 16 km;
• natural gas 32 km

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.)