The Persian Gulf lies between two of the major
breadbaskets
of the ancient world, the Tigris-Euphrates area
(Mesopotamia,
meaning "between the rivers") in present-day Iraq and the
Nile
Valley in Egypt. Mesopotamia, a part of the area known as
the
Fertile Crescent, was important not only for food
production but
also for connecting East to West.
Rivers provided the water that made agriculture
possible.
Agriculture, in turn, enabled people to settle in one area
and to
accumulate a food surplus that allowed them to pursue
tasks
besides growing food, namely, to create a civilization.
They
chose leaders, such as kings and priests; they built
monuments;
they devised systems of morality and religion; and they
started
to trade.
Mesopotamia became the linchpin of ancient
international
trade. The fertile soil between the Tigris and the
Euphrates
produced a arge surplus of food; however, it did not
support
forests to produce the timber necessary to build permanent
structures. The region also lacked the mineral resources
to make
metals. Accordingly, the early inhabitants of Mesopotamia
were
forced to go abroad and trade their food for other raw
materials.
They found copper at Magan, an ancient city that lay
somewhere in
the contemporary state of Oman and, via Magan, traded with
people
in the Indus Valley for lumber and other finished goods.
Trade between Mesopotamia and India was facilitated by
the
small size of the Persian Gulf. Water provided the easiest
way to
transport goods, and sailors crossed the gulf fairly
early,
moving out along the coasts of Persia and India until they
reached the mouth of the Indus. Merchants and sailors
became
middlemen who used their position to profit from the
movement of
goods through the gulf. The people of Magan were both
middlemen
and suppliers because the city was a source of copper as
well as
a transit point for Indian trade. Over time, other cities
developed that were exclusively entrepĂ´ts, or commercial
way
stations. One of the best known of these cities was
Dilmun.
Dilmun probably lay on what is now the island state of
Bahrain. Excavations on the island reveal rich burial
mounds from
the Dilmun period (ca. 4000 to 2000 B.C.). Scholars
believe the
monuments on the island indicate that residents, in
addition to
farming, earned money from the East-West trade and that
other
cities on the gulf coast survived similarly.
The trading cities on the gulf were closely linked to
Mesopotamia, reflected in the similarities between the
archaeological finds in the two areas. The similar finds
suggest
that the people of the gulf coast and the people of the
Tigris
and Euphrates valley developed increasingly complex
societies and
beliefs.
The people of the gulf coast differed from those of the
interior of the Arabian Peninsula. The people in the
interior
were nomads who had no time to build cities or monuments
and no
need to develop elaborate social structures. When the
desert
provided insufficient food for their flocks, the tribes
pushed
into the date groves or farmlands of the settled towns.
Centers
on the gulf coast were subject to such nomadic incursions,
as
were the people of Mesopotamia. As a result, after the
second
millennium B.C. the gulf began to take on an increasingly
Arab
character. Some Arab tribes from the interior left their
flocks
and took over the date groves that ringed the region's
oases,
while others took up sailing and began to take part in the
trade
and piracy that were the region's economic mainstays.
These
nomadic incursions periodically changed the ethnic balance
and
leadership of the gulf coast.
Meanwhile, trade flourished in the second millennium
B.C., as
reflected in the wealth of Dilmun. In about 1800 B.C.,
however,
both the quality and the amount of goods that passed
through
Dilmun declined, and many scholars attribute this to a
corresponding decline in the Mesopotamian markets.
Concurrently,
an alternate trade route arose that linked India to the
Mediterranean Sea via the Arabian Sea, then through the
Gulf of
Aden, thence into the Red Sea where the pharaohs had built
a
shallow canal that linked the Red Sea to the Nile. This
new route
gave access not only to Mediterranean ports but also,
through the
Mediterranean ports, to the West as well.
One of the ways that rulers directed goods toward their
own
country was to control transit points on the trade routes.
Oman
was significant to rulers in Mesopotamia because it
provided a
source of raw materials as well as a transshipment point
for
goods from the East. Although a valuable prize, Oman's
large navy
gave it influence over other cities in the gulf. When
Mesopotamia
was strong, its rulers sought to take over Oman. When Oman
was
strong, its rulers pushed up through the gulf and into
Mesopotamia. One of the basic conflicts in gulf history
has been
the struggle of indigenous peoples against outside powers
who
sought to control the gulf because of its strategic
importance.
Competition between Red Sea and Persian Gulf trade
routes was
complicated by the rise of new land routes around 1000
B.C.
Technological advances in the second and first millennia
B.C.
made land routes increasingly viable for moving goods. The
domestication of the camel and the development of a saddle
enabling the animal to carry large loads allowed merchants
to
send goods across Arabia as well. As a result, inland
centers
developed at the end of the first millennium B.C. to
service the
increasing caravan traffic. These overland trade routes
helped to
Arabize the gulf by bringing the nomads of the interior
into
closer contact with their relatives on the coast.
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
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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
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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
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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
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Population | | 727,785 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2009 est.)
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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.)
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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.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 89% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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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.)
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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.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 75.16 years male: 72.64 years female: 77.76 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 2.5 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini
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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.)
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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
|
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)
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 10.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 48,520 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 38,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 238,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 228,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 124.6 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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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)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 16 years (2006)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 3.9% of GDP (1991)
|