Location: Middle East, in the central Persian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and Qatar

Map references: Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 620 sq km
land area: 620 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 161 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands; maritime boundary with Qatar

Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish

Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 90%

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989 est.)

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 surface water resources; groundwater and sea water are the only sources for all water needs
natural hazards: periods of drought, dust storms
international agreements: party to - Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

NOTE: The information regarding Bahrain on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bahrain Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bahrain Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.