Bahrain Geography
LocationMiddle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates
26 00 N, 50 33 E
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
0 km
Coastline
161 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
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
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
