Bahrain Geography:
Location:
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
26 00 N, 50 33 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
665 sq km
land:
665 sq km
water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative:
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 0 km
border countries: NA
Coastline:
161 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
Arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain:
Mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Natural resources:
Oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
Land use:
arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 5.63%
other: 91.55%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (1998 est.)
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; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
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 |
