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| Scuba Bahrain Coral Reef |
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Resources Overview
Bahrain is an industrialized nation. Trawl fisheries have undoubtedly had a major impact on the offshore ecosystems, and probably impacted a number of coral reefs, until the industry was closed in 1998. Onshore land reclamation has been considerable in the north and west, and there are proposals to reclaim land on Fasht Adham, a large offshore reef area in the east. Industrial effluents are significant, while nearshore waters are routinely dredged, with a major impact of increased sediments on the surrounding reefs.
There are no true fringing reefs in this country, but to the north and east there are a number of quite extensive platform reef structures. Diversity and coral cover were generally low, while coral bleaching events in 1996 and 1998 led to mortalities of 85-90 percent of the living coral on many offshore reefs. Over 70 kilometers north of the main island, Abul Thama is a small raised platform with relatively high coral cover of about 25-30 percent. Surrounded by deeper water (50 meters), these corals largely survived these bleaching events.
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Geography
Area: 693 sq. km. (268 sq. mi.); about four times the size of Washington, DC. Bahrain is an archipelago consisting of 33 islands, only six of them inhabited.
Cities: Capital--Manama, pop. 145,000. Other city--Al Muharraq, pop. 81,000.
Terrain: Low interior plateau and hill on main island.
Climate: Hot and humid from May-September, temperate from October-April. |
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Bahraini(s).
Population (2001 est.): 645,351; 66% indigenous.
Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%.
Religions: Shi'a and Sunni Muslim, with small Roman Catholic, Prostestant, and Jewish communities.
Languages: Arabic (official), English, Farsi, Urdu.
Education: Attendance--73%. Literacy (2001)--85.2% (male 89.1% female 69%).
Work force: 330,000 (about 36% indigenous, 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is nonnational).
Work force: Industry and commerce--74%; services--19%; agriculture--4%; government--3%. |
Economy
GDP (2001 est.) $8.1 billion.
Growth rate (2001 est.) 5%.
Per capita GDP (2001 est.) $12,790.
Natural resources: Oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls.
Agriculture (1% of GDP): Products--eggs, vegetables, dates, fish. Industry (46% of GDP): Types--manufacturing (21% of GDP), oil (16%), aluminum, ship repair, natural gas, fish.
Services (31% of GDP): Banking, real estate, insurance.
Public administration: 20% of GDP.
Trade (2000): Exports--$5.8 billion: petroleum and petroleum products (80%), aluminum (7%), fish. Major markets--Saudi Arabia, U.S., Japan. Imports--$4.2 billion: machinery, industrial equipment, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, clothing. Major suppliers--U.S., U.K., Japan. |
Profile
Most of the population of Bahrain is concentrated in the two principal cities, Manama and Al Muharraq. The indigenous people--66% of the population--are from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. The most numerous minorities are Europeans and South and East Asians.
Islam is the official religion. Though Shi'a Muslims make up more than two-thirds of the population, Sunni Islam is the prevailing belief held by those in the government, military, and corporate sectors. Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as a tiny indigenous Jewish community, also exist in Bahrain.
Bahrain has traditionally boasted an advanced educational system. Schooling and related costs are entirely paid for by the government, and, although not compulsory, primary and secondary attendance rates are high. Bahrain also encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahrainis returning from abroad with advanced degrees. Bahrain University has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences--operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health--trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. |
History
Bahrain was once part of the ancient civilization of Dilmun and served as an important link in trade routes between Sumeria and the Indus Valley as long as 5,000 years ago. Since the late 18th century, Bahrain has been governed by the Al Khalifa family, which created close ties to Britain by signing the General Treaty of Peace in 1820. A binding treaty of protection, known as the Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship, was concluded in 1861 and further revised in 1892 and 1951. This treaty was similar to those entered into by the British Government with the other Persian Gulf principalities. It specified that the ruler could not dispose of any of his territory except to the United Kingdom and could not enter into relationships with any foreign government other than the United Kingdom without British consent. The British promised to protect Bahrain from all aggression by sea and to lend support in case of land attack.
After World War II, Bahrain became the center for British administration of treaty obligations in the lower Persian Gulf. In 1968, when the British Government announced its decision (reaffirmed in March 1971) to end the treaty relationships with the Persian Gulf sheikdoms, Bahrain joined the other eight states (Qatar and the seven Trucial Sheikhdoms, which are now called the United Arab Emirates) under British protection in an effort to form a union of Arab emirates. By mid-1971, however, the nine sheikhdoms still had not agreed on terms of union. Accordingly, Bahrain sought independence as a separate entity and became fully independent on August 15, 1971, as the State of Bahrain.
Based on its 1971 constitution, Bahrain elected its first parliament in 1973, but just 2 years later, in August 1975, the Amir disbanded the National Assembly because the Parliament attempted to legislate the end of Al-Khalifa rule and the expulsion of the U.S. Navy from Bahrain. Political unrest broke out in December 1994 and included sporadic mass protests, skirmishes with local law enforcement, arson, and property attacks. In June 1995, the first Bahraini cabinet change in 20 years took place, producing mixed public response. In 1996, the Amir increased the membership of the Consultative Council, which he created in 1993, from 30 to 40, to provide advice and opinion on legislation proposed by the cabinet and, in certain cases, suggest new laws on its own. In 1998 Shaykh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa became Amir after the death of his father, Shaykh Isa bin Hamad Al Halifa. |
| Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, |
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