According to archaeologists, warfare was a common
activity
5,000 years ago among the peoples of the area of the
Middle East
that in modern times became Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and
the
smaller gulf states. Intermittent hostilities, often based
on
rivalries between the Persians of the eastern coast of the
gulf
and the Arabs of the western coast, have occurred ever
since.
Sargon, Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar II, and Alexander the
Great
were among the best known kings who led warring armies in
the
2,500 years before the birth of Christ. During the
centuries of
Greek and Roman domination, the gulf region was of limited
interest to the major powers, but the area's importance as
a
strategic and trading center rose with the emergence of
Islam in
the seventh century A.D. The caliphate's military strength
was
concentrated at Hormuz. Strategically sited at the mouth
of the
gulf, its authority extended over ports and islands of the
Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf
(see
fig. 16).
The strategic importance of Hormuz, however, did not
survive
the appearance of Western powers, initially the Portuguese
who
came to the gulf in the late fifteenth century after Vasco
da
Gama's discovery of the route to India via the Cape of
Good Hope.
The Ottomans and the Iranians also tried to dominate the
gulf but
faced opposition from local tribes in Bahrain and Muscat,
reluctant to cede authority over their territories, which
by then
were the most important areas on the coast. Increasing
British
involvement in India beginning in the late eighteenth
century
quickened British interest in the gulf region as a means
of
protecting the sea routes to India. The principal
challenge to
Britain arose from the Qawasim tribal confederation
originating
in the area of the present-day United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The
Qawasim, who amassed a fleet of about 900 vessels,
demanded
tribute for the passage of merchant vessels and were
regarded as
pirates by the Europeans. Between 1809 and 1820, British
sea
power gradually brought about the destruction of the
Qawasim
fleet. This in turn led to the signing of agreements with
Britain
by the Qawasim and other shaykhs
(see Treaties with the British
, ch. 1). The amirates promised to have no direct dealings
with
other foreign states and to abstain from piracy. Britain
in turn
assumed responsibility for the foreign relations of the
amirates
and promised to protect them from all aggression by sea
and to
lend its support against any land attacks. Before the end
of the
century, Britain extended protection to Bahrain and
Kuwait; Qatar
entered the system after it repudiated Ottoman sovereignty
in
1916.
Although Muscat was traditionally a center of the slave
trade, its sultan agreed to abandon this activity in
return for
British help in building a navy. In the early nineteenth
century,
the sultan's efficient fleet of sloops, corvettes, and
frigates
enabled him to support a maritime empire extending from
East
Africa to the coast of present-day Pakistan. With the
eventual
decline of this empire, owing in part to its division into
two
states--Zanzibar and Oman--Britain's influence grew, and
it
signed a treaty in 1891 similar to those with the gulf
amirates.
The strategic importance of the Persian Gulf became
increasingly apparent as the oil industry developed in the
twentieth century. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran all
claimed some
of the territory of the gulf states during the years
between
World War I and World War II, but Britain's firm
resistance to
these claims enabled the amirates to maintain their
territorial
integrity without resort to arms. Except for a small force
of the
British Indian Navy to ensure observance of the treaty
conditions
and maintain maritime peace in the gulf, Britain abstained
from
direct military involvement. As the wealth of the gulf's
oil
resources became clear, the size of the British military
establishment expanded. By the end of the 1960s, Britain
had
about 9,000 men in Oman, Sharjah (an amirate of the UAE),
and
Bahrain, where British military headquarters was located.
The
Trucial Oman Scouts, a mobile force of mixed nationality
that
Britain supported and British officers commanded, became a
symbol
of public order in the UAE until Britain's withdrawal from
the
Persian Gulf in 1971.
|
Background | | In 1783, the al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shia community. Shia political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shia discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.
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Location | | Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
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|
Area(sq km) | | total: 741 sq km
land: 741 sq km
water: 0 sq km
|
|
Geographic coordinates | | 26 00 N, 50 33 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | 0 km
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Coastline(km) | | 161 km
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Climate | | arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
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|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
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Natural resources | | oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
|
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 5.63%
other: 91.55% (2005)
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|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 40 sq km (2003)
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|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 0.1 cu km (1997)
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|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 0.3 cu km/yr (40%/3%/57%)
per capita: 411 cu m/yr (2000)
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|
Natural hazards | | periodic droughts; dust storms
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|
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)
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|
Environment - international agreements | | 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
|
|
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
|
|
Population | | 727,785
note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 25.9% (male 95,224/female 93,241)
15-64 years: 70.2% (male 292,941/female 217,729)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 15,106/female 13,544) (2009 est.)
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|
Median age(years) | | total: 30.1 years
male: 33.2 years
female: 26.7 years (2009 est.)
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|
Population growth rate(%) | | 1.285% (2009 est.)
|
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 17.02 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 4.37 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 89% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1.24 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 15.25 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 75.16 years
male: 72.64 years
female: 77.76 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 2.5 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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|
Nationality | | noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini
|
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)
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Religions(%) | | Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
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Languages(%) | | Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
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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
|
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Government type | | constitutional monarchy
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Capital | | name: Manama
geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions | | 5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat
note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor
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|
Constitution | | adopted 14 February 2002
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Legal system | | based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 20 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent 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); 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: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
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|
Legislative branch | | bicameral legislature consists of the Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December 2006 (next election to be held in 2010)
election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by society - NA; seats by society - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11; note - seats by society as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8, al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4, unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1
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Judicial branch | | High Civil Appeals Court
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Shia activists; Sunni Islamist legislators
other: several small leftist and other groups are active
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|
International organization participation | | ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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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
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|
Economy - overview | | With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries), underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Aluminum is Bahrain's second major export after oil. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is focused on Islamic banking and is competing on an international scale with Malaysia as a worldwide banking center. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Continued strong growth hinges on Bahrain's ability to acquire new natural gas supplies as feedstock to support its expanding petrochemical and aluminum industries. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are long-term economic problems. The global financial crisis is likely to result in slower economic growth for Bahrain during 2009 as tight international credit and a slowing global economy cause funding for many non-oil projects to dry up. Lower oil prices may also cause Bahrain's budget to slip back into deficit.
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|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $26.89 billion (2008 est.)
$25.29 billion (2007 est.)
$23.34 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $21.24 billion (2008 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 6.3% (2008 est.)
8.4% (2007 est.)
6.7% (2006 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $37,400 (2008 est.)
$35,700 (2007 est.)
$33,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 66.2%
services: 33.3% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 557,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 1%
industry: 79%
services: 20% (1997 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 15% (2005 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 26.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $6.934 billion
expenditures: $5.612 billion (2008 est.)
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|
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 7% (2008 est.)
3.3% (2007 est.)
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|
Stock of money | | $NA (31 December 2008)
$4.169 billion (31 December 2007)
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|
Stock of quasi money | | $NA (31 December 2008)
$10.63 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $NA (31 December 2008)
$10.32 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $21.18 billion (31 December 2008)
$28.13 billion (31 December 2007)
$21.12 billion (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $103.9 million (2004)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 28.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
63.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
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Industries | | petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 6.3% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $2.257 billion (2008 est.)
$2.907 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $17.49 billion (2008 est.)
$13.79 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
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Exports - partners(%) | | Saudi Arabia 3.4%, India 2.7%, UAE 2.2% (2008)
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Imports | | $14.25 billion (2008 est.)
$10.93 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | crude oil, machinery, chemicals
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Imports - partners(%) | | Saudi Arabia 26.7%, Japan 8.9%, US 7.8%, China 6.2%, Germany 4.8%, South Korea 4.7%, UK 4.5% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $3.803 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$4.101 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $10.33 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$7.858 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $15.01 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$13.31 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $9.34 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$7.72 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2008 est.), 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | Bahraini dinar (BHD)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 220,000 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 1.4 million (2008)
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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; 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)
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Internet country code | | .bh
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Internet users | | 402,900 (2008)
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Airports | | 3 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 20 km; oil 32 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 3,498 km
paved: 2,768 km
unpaved: 730 km (2003)
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Ports and terminals | | Mina' Salman, Sitrah
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Military branches | | Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard
|
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2008)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 210,938
females age 16-49: 170,471 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 171,004
females age 16-49: 144,555 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 6,612
female: 6,499 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 4.5% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | none
|
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Trafficking in persons | | current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 10.25 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 10.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 48,520 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 38,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 238,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 228,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 124.6 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.2% (2001 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | fewer than 600 (2007 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
|
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5%
male: 88.6%
female: 83.6% (2001 census)
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 16 years (2006)
|
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 3.9% of GDP (1991)
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