Bahrain

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

• smallest population of the Gulf States, but urbanization rate exceeds 90%;
• largest settlement concentration is found on the far northern end of the island in and around Manamah and Al Muharraq

• 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);
• lowered water table leaves aquifers vulnerable to saline contamination;
• desalinization provides some 90% of the country's freshwater

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

0-14 years:

18.88% (male 138,309 /female 134,067)

15-24 years:

15.49% (male 126,564 /female 96,834)

25-54 years:

56.06% (male 527,417 /female 281,391)

55-64 years:

6.49% (male 59,404 /female 34,284)

65 years and over:

3.08% (male 22,258 /female 22,131) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

30.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

27.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

3 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

33.1 (2015 est.)

• smallest population of the Gulf States, but urbanization rate exceeds 90%;
• largest settlement concentration is found on the far northern end of the island in and around Manamah and Al Muharraq

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.3 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1.88 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

1.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.54 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Bahrain

conventional short form:

Bahrain

local long form:

Mamlakat al Bahrayn

local short form:

Al Bahrayn

former:

Dilmun, Tylos, Awal, Mishmahig, Bahrayn, State of Bahrain

etymology:

the name means "the two seas" in Arabic and refers to the water bodies surrounding the archipelago

name:

Manama

geographic coordinates:

26 14 N, 50 34 E

time difference:

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

etymology:

name derives from the Arabic "al-manama" meaning "place of rest" or "place of dreams"

history:

adopted 14 February 2002 (2017)

amendments:

• proposed by the king or by at least 15 members of either chamber of the National Assembly followed by submission to an Assembly committee for review and, if approved, submitted to the government for restatement as drafts;
• passage requires a two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both chambers and validation by the king;
• constitutional articles on the state religion (Islam), state language (Arabic), and the monarchy and "inherited rule" cannot be amended;
• amended 2012, 2017 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Bahrain

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

25 years; 15 years for Arab nationals

highest courts:

• Court of Cassation or Supreme Court of Appeal (consists of the chairman and 3 judges);
• Constitutional Court (consists of the president and 6 members);
• High Sharia Court of Appeal (court sittings include the president and at least one judge);
• appeals beyond the High Sharia Court of Appeal are heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Cassation judges appointed by royal decree and serve for a specified tenure;
• Constitutional Court president and members appointed by the Higher Judicial Council, a body chaired by the monarch and includes judges from the Court of Cassation, sharia law courts, and Civil High Courts of Appeal;
• members serve 9-year terms;
• High Sharia Court of Appeal member appointment and tenure NA

subordinate courts:

• Civil High Courts of Appeal;
• middle and lower civil courts;
• High Sharia Court of Appeal;
• Senior Sharia Court;
• Administrative Courts of Appeal;
• military courts

note: the judiciary of Bahrain is divided into civil law courts and sharia law courts; sharia courts(involving personal status and family law) are further divided into Sunni Muslim and Shia Muslim

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 MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa (since September 2005), Jawad bin Salim al-ARAIDH, ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa (since 11 December 2006), KHALID bin Abdallah Al Khalifa (since November 2010)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the monarch

elections/appointments:

the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

chief of mission:

Ambassador Abdulla bin Rashid AL KHALIFA (since 21 July 2017)

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 Justin H. SIBERELL (since November 2017)

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] 1727-2594

• 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

name:

"Bahrainona" (Our Bahrain)

lyrics/music:

unknown

note: adopted 1971; although Mohamed Sudqi AYYASH wrote the original lyrics, they were changed in 2002 following the transformation of Bahrain from an emirate to a kingdom

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

agriculture:

1%

industry:

32%

services:

67% (2004 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

general assessment:

• modern system;
• well developed LTE networks, 5G trials tested and deployment in near future;
• mobile penetration is high compared to the region;
• development of it own National Broadband Network (NBN);
• competion is good and telecos are regulated (2017)

domestic:

• modern fiber-optic integrated services;
• digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones;
• 20 per 100 fixed-line, 168 per 100 mobile-cellular;
• (2017)

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 (2016)

• 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 (2009)

number of registered air carriers:

6 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 42 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

5,313,756 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

240,107,004 mt-km (2015)

total:

4,122 km (2010)

paved:

3,392 km (2010)

unpaved:

730 km (2010)

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