Bahrain

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

total:

0.36 cu km/yr (50%/6%/45%)

per capita:

386 cu m/yr (2003)

• 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• 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

noun:

Bahraini(s)

adjective:

Bahraini

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.28 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.9 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.54 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.91 male(s)/female

total population:

1.54 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

total number:

5,530

percentage:

5 % (2000 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Bahrain

conventional short form:

Bahrain

local long form:

Mamlakat al Bahrayn

local short form:

Al Bahrayn

former:

Dilmun, State of Bahrain

name:

Manama

geographic coordinates:

26 14 N, 50 34 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 20 years of age;
• universal;
• note - Bahraini Cabinet in May 2011 endorsed a draft law lowering eligibility to 18 years

chief of state:

King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad Al-Khalifa (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)

head of government:

• Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al-Khalifa (since 1971);
• First Deputy Prime Minister SALMAN bin Hamad Al Khalifa (since 11 March 2013);
• Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Jawad bin Salim al-ARAIDH, KHALID bin Abdallah Al Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the monarch; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

highest court(s):

Court of Cassation (consists of a chairman and 3 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of a president and 6 members); note - the judiciary of Bahrain is divided into the civil law and sharia law courts

judge selection and term of office:

Court of Cassation and Constitutional Court judges appointed by royal decree and serve for a specified tenure

subordinate courts:

• High Court of Appeal;
• middle and lower civil courts;
• higher and lower shariah courts, and the High Shariah Court of Appeal

Sunni:

Al-Fatih Awakening

Shia:

14 February Revolution Youth Coalition; Bahrain Islamic Freedom Movement [Said SHIHABI]; Haqq Movement [Hasan MUSHAYMA]; Islamic Amal [Muhammad Ali AL-MAHFUDH]; Khalas [Abd al-Rauf AL-SHAYIB]; Wafa Islamic Society [Abd al-Wahab HUSAYN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Shaikh ABDULLA Mohamed Rashed Al Khalifa (since 26 November 2013)

chancery:

3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-1111

FAX:

[1] (202) 362-2192

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI (since 26 October 2011)

embassy:

Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama

mailing address:

PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama

telephone:

[973] 1724-2700

FAX:

[973] 1727-0547

• 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

note: until 2002 the flag had eight white points, but this was reduced to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag

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

agriculture:

1%

industry:

79%

services:

20% (1997 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

modern system

domestic:

modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones

international:

• country code - 973;
• landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US;
• tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE;
• microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia;
• satellite earth station - 1 (2007)

• state-run Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) operates 5 terrestrial TV networks and several radio stations;
• satellite TV systems provide access to international broadcasts;
• 1 private FM station directs broadcasts to Indian listeners;
• radio and TV broadcasts from countries in the region are available (2007)

total:

4,122 km

country comparison to the world: 156

paved:

3,392 km

unpaved:

730 km (2010)

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets;
• no conscription (2012)

males age 16-49:

508,863

females age 16-49:

290,801 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

423,757

females age 16-49:

245,302 (2010 est.)

male:

8,988

female:

8,117 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• Bahrain is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• unskilled and domestic workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Eritrea migrate willingly to Bahrain, but some face conditions of forced labor through the withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, nonpayment, threats, and abuse;
• many Bahraini labor recruitment agencies and some employers charge foreign workers exorbitant fees that make them vulnerable to forced labor and debt bondage;
• domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to forced labor and sexual exploitation because they are not protected under labor laws;
• women from Thailand, the Philippines, Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, China, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern European countries are forced into prostitution in Bahrain

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government has made few discernible efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict trafficking offenses;
• cases of unpaid or withheld wages, passport retention, and other abuses - common indicators of trafficking - are treated as labor disputes and taken to civil court rather than criminal court;
• the government has made no indication of taking steps to institute a formal trafficking victim identification procedure and referral mechanism, resulting in the majority of victims seeking shelter at their embassies or the NGO-operated trafficking shelter;
• most victims have not filed lawsuits against employers because of a distrust of the legal system or a fear of reprisals (2013)