Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, or Bahrain (formerly spelled Bahrein), (Arabic: ????? ???????) is a borderless island nation in the Persian Gulf (Southwest Asia/Middle East, Asia). Saudi Arabia is to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway, and Qatar is to the south across the Persian Gulf. The Qatar?Bahrain Friendship Bridge, currently in planning, will link Bahrain to Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world.

Geography

Bahrain is a generally flat and arid archipelago, comprising of a low desert plain rising gently to a low central escarpment, in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia. The highest point is the 122m Jabal ad Dukhan.

Related Topics:
Archipelago - Persian Gulf - Saudi Arabia

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Considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity" in the Middle East, Bahrain has a total area of 620 km², which is slightly larger than the Isle of Man, though it is smaller than the nearby King Fahd Airport in Dammam Saudi Arabia which boasts an incredible 780 km². As an archipelago of 33 islands, Bahrain does not share a land boundary with another country but does have a 161 km coastline and claims a further 12 nm of territorial sea and a 24 nm contiguous zone. Bahrain enjoys mild winters and endures very hot, humid summers.

Related Topics:
Cradle of Humanity - Middle East - Km² - Isle of Man - King Fahd Airport - Nm - Territorial sea - Contiguous zone

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Bahrain's natural resources include large quantities of oil and associated and nonassociated natural gas as well as fish stocks, which is perhaps fortunate as arable land constitutes only 1% of the country. Desert constitutes 92% of Bahrain and periodic droughts and dust storms are the main natural hazards for Bahrainis.

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Environmental issues facing Bahrain include desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land and 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.

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