231 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
231 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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BAHRAIN
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 620 km2; land area: 620 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 161 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: not specific;
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Territorial sea: 3 nm
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Disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands
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Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
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Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
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escarpment
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Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas,
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fish
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Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures
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6%; forest and woodland 0%; other 90%, includes irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted
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(requires development of desalination facilities); dust storms;
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desertification
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Note: close to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources;
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strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western
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world's crude oil must transit to reach open ocean
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PEOPLE
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Population: 536,974 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
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Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.0 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Bahraini(s); adjective--Bahraini
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Ethnic divisions: Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%,
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Iranian 8%, other 6%
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Religion: Muslim (Shia 70%, Sunni 30%)
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Language: Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi,
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Urdu
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Literacy: 77% (male 82%, female 69%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; industry
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and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 3% (1982)
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Organized labor: General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in
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only eight major designated companies
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: State of Bahrain
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Type: traditional monarchy
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Capital: Manama
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Administrative divisions: 12 municipalities (baladiyat,
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singular--baladiyah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah,
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Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta,
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Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq,
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Ar Rifa wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs,
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Madinat Hamad, Madinat Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar,
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Sitrah
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Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)
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Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
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Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law
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National holiday: National Day, 16 December
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Executive branch: amir, crown prince and heir apparent, prime
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minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly was dissolved
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26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet
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Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Amir Isa bin Salman Al KHALIFA (since
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2 November 1961); Heir Apparent Hamad bin Isa Al KHALIFA (son of Amir;
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born 28 January 1950);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al KHALIFA,
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(since 19 January 1970)
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Political parties and pressure groups: political parties
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prohibited; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist
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groups are active
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Suffrage: none
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Elections: none
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Communists: negligible
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Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD,
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ICAO, IDB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent),
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ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
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WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ghazi Muhammad AL-QUSAYBI;
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Chancery at 3502 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
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(202) 342-0741 or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate General in
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New York;
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US--Ambassador Dr. Charles W. HOSTLER; Embassy at Building
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No. 979, Road No. 3119, Block/Area 331, Manama ZINJ (mailing address is
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P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York 09526-6210); telephone 973
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273-300 or 275-126
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Flag: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the
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hoist side
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Petroleum production and processing account for
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about 85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP.
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Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil
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since 1985, including the Gulf crisis of 1990-91. The liberation of
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Kuwait in early 1991 has improved short- to medium-term prospects and
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has raised investors' confidence. Bahrain with its highly developed
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communication and transport facilities is home to numerous
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multinational firms with business in the Gulf.
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GDP: $3.9 billion, per capita $7,500; real growth rate 2.5%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989)
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Unemployment: 8-10% (1989)
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Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.32 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
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Exports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%;
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partners--UAE, Japan, US, India
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Imports: $3.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%;
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partners--Saudi Arabia, Japan, US, UK
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External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 3.8% (1988); accounts for
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44% of GDP
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Electricity: 1,652,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced,
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12,080 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting,
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offshore banking, ship repairing
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Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP;
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not self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector
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produces fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, and fish;
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fish catch 9,000 metric tons in 1987
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $35 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion
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Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar
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(BD) = 1,000 fils
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Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1--0.3760 (fixed rate)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km
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bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km
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natural surface tracks
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Ports: Mina Salman, Manama, Sitrah
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Merchant marine: 4 cargo and 2 container (1,000 GRT or over)
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totaling 114,733 GRT/155,065 DWT
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Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas,
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32 km
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Civil air: 24 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2
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with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: excellent international telecommunications;
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adequate domestic services; 98,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM,
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2 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean
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INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE,
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Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar and UAE
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 187,606; 104,285 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $194 million, 6% of GDP (1990)
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