Country Facts - Bahrain

The People

Nationality

Bahraini(s)

Ethnic Composition

Bahraini	63%
Asian	19%
Other Arab	10%
Iranian	8%

Religious Composition

Shia Muslim	70%
Sunni Muslim	30%

Languages Spoken

Arabic (official), English, Farsi, and Urdu.

Education and Literacy

The government provides free education for all children, though less so for girls. The adult literacy rate is 88.5 percent.

Labor Force

Total: 295,000 (1998 est.)
By occupation:

Industry, commerce and Services	79%
Government	20%
Agriculture	1%

Note: 44 percent of the population in the 15 to 64 age group is non-national (July 1998)

Geography

Land Mass Total

239 sq mi (620 sq km)

Land

256 sq mi (665 sq km)

Water

0 sq mi/sq km

Land Boundaries

0 mi/km

Coastline

100 mi (161 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers.

Terrain

Mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Persian Gulf 0 ft/m
Highest: Jabal ad-Dukhan 400 ft (122 m)

Natural Resources

Oil, associated and non-associated natural gas, fish.

Land use

Arable land	5%
Permanent crops	4%
Other	91%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Periodic droughts; dust storms.

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; no natural freshwater resources, so groundwater and sea water are the only sources for all water needs.

Geography Note

Close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; much of the Western world's petroleum must transit through this strategic location in Persian Gulf to reach open ocean.

Demographics

Population

656,397
Note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	29.2%	Male: 97,022	Female: 94,605
15-64 years:	67.7%	Male: 261,919	Female: 182,727
65 years and over:	3.1%	Male: 10,230	Female: 9,894

Growth Rate

1.67% (2002)

Life Expectancy

73.47 years (2002)
female: 75.96 years
male: 71.05 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$13,000 (2001)

Infant Mortality

19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.43 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	1.03 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.29 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

In Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account for about 60 percent of export receipts, 60 percent of government revenues, and 30 percent of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Bahrain is dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil revenue granted as aid. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. Bahrain is currently in the process of switching the central core of its economy from petroleum related commodities to financial services.

Unemployment

15% (1998)

Inflation Rate

1.5% (2001)

Industries

Petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism.

Exports

US$5.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$8.4 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

India 8.4%, US 3.9%, Saudi Arabia 3.4%, Japan 2.8%, South Korea 2.1% (2000)

Top Import Partners

Saudi Arabia 28.7%, US 12.5%, UK 6.6%, France 6%, Japan 4% (2000)

Top Exports

Petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Top Imports

Crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Debt - external

US$2.8 billion (2000)

Economic aid

US$48.4 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Saturday - Thursday (Islamic workweek)	Friday
Offices	Saturday to Wednesday 7a.m. to noon, and 2:30p.m. to 5p.m. Thursday 7:30a.m. to noon.	Closed
Retail	8a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 3:30p.m. to 6:30p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays stores may stay open until 9p.m.	Closed
Banks	Saturday to Wednesday 7:30a.m. to noon Thursday 7a.m. to 11a.m.	Closed
Government	7a.m. to 1p.m.	Closed

Note: Bahrain is a Muslim country and businesses structure their hours and services around the required prayer breaks.....

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
Islamic New Year²	March 5	February 22	February 10
Ashoora³	March 14	March 2	February 19
Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an Nabi)*¹	May 14	May 2	April 21
Start of Ramadan*²	November 6	October 27	October 15
End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)*³	November 26	November 14	November 3
National Day	December 16 & 17	December 16 & 17	December 16 & 17

¹	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	The lunar Islamic Hijara calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons.
³	Shi'a holiday celebrating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.
*¹	The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of the Islamic calendar.
*²	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*³	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press