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TheKingdom of Bahrain[1] consists ofBahrain Island and 33 of the 37 Bahrain Islands, lying in thePersian Gulf'sGulf of Bahrain off the north shore ofWest Asia'sArabian Peninsula. Bahrain's capital city isManama. The islands are about 24 kilometers (15 mi) off the east coast ofSaudi Arabia and 28 kilometers (17 mi) fromQatar.[2] The total area of the country is about 694 square kilometers (268 sq mi), about four times the size of theDistrict of Columbia.[2]
Bahrain Island accounts for about 78% of the kingdom's land area, comprising 604 square kilometers (233 sq mi). It is 48 kilometers (30 mi) long from north to south and at its widest point stretches 16 kilometers (10 mi) from east to west. The island is surrounded by several of theMiddle East's largepetroleum fields and commands a strategic position amid the Persian Gulf's shipping lanes.
Following the return ofJanan toQatar in March 2001, the state of Bahrain consists of 33 natural islands in theBahrain Islands archipelago.
Around most of Bahrain is a relatively shallow inlet of thePersian Gulf known as theGulf of Bahrain.[2] The seabed adjacent to Bahrain is rocky and, mainly off the northern part of the island, covered by extensive coral reefs.[2] Most of the island is a low-lying and barren desert.[2] Outcroppings of limestone form low rolling hills, stubby cliffs, and shallowravines.[2] The limestone is covered by various densities of saline sand, capable of supporting only the hardiest desert vegetation – chiefly thorn trees and scrub.[2] There is a fertile strip five kilometres wide along the northern coast on whichdate,almond,fig, andpomegranate trees grow.[2] The interior contains anescarpment that rises to 134 meters, the highest point on the island, to formJabal al Dukhan (Mountain of Smoke), named for the mists that often wreathe the summit.[2] Most of the country'soil wells are situated in the vicinity of Jabal al Dukhan.[2]
One author writes about the geology of the nation: "Bahrein lies on a portion of the ancientTethys Ocean geosynclinal belt represented today by the Persian Gulf. The formation of the principal island is the result of pressure from the mountain masses of Persia against the crystalline platform of central Asia, the thrust being absorbed by gentle folding in the geosynclines. The structure of Bahrein is that of a large, single, closed dome covering the entire faulting".
Rocks exposed at the surface consist of:
In addition toBahrain Island, other islands of significance includeNabih Saleh, which is northwest ofSitra;Jidda Island andUmm as Sabaan, to the north ofUmm an Nasan; and theHawar Islandsarchipelago – a group of islands to the south, the largest of which isHawar, near the coast of Qatar.[2] Nabih Saleh contains several freshwater springs that are used to irrigate the island's the extensive date palm groves.[2] The rocky islet ofJiddah formerly housed the state prison[2] but has now been converted to a private residence. theHawar Islands archipelago used to be the subject of a territorial dispute betweenBahrain andQatar.[2] Hawar is nineteen kilometres long and about one and one-half kilometres wide.[2] The other islands (such as theAl Garum Islands to the North) are uninhabited and are nesting sites for a variety ofmigratory birds.[2]
In Bahrainforest cover is around 1% of the total land area, equivalent to 700 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 220 hectares (ha) in 1990. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership.[4]
Bahrain features anarid climate.[2] Bahrain has two seasons: an extremely hot summer and a relatively mild winter.[2] During the summer months, from April to October, afternoon temperatures average 40 °C (104 °F) and can reach 46 °C (114.8 °F) during May, June and July.[2] The combination of intense heat and high humidity makes this season uncomfortable.[2] In addition, a hot, dry southwest wind, known locally as the qaws, periodically blows sand clouds across the barren southern end of Bahrain toward Manama in the summer.[2] Temperatures moderate in the winter months, from November to March, when the range is between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F).[2] However, humidity often rises above 90% in the winter.[2] From December to March, prevailing winds from the northwest, known as theshamal, bring damp air over the islands.[2] Regardless of the season, daily temperatures are fairly uniform throughout the archipelago.[2] Note that the coldest temperature ever recorded in Bahrain was on January 20, 1964, when it dropped to −5 °C (23 °F) in Awali and 2.7 °C (36 °F) at Bahrain International Airport.[2]That particular freeze was accompanied by a white-out, with icicles forming on trees and fences at Awali.[2]
Bahrain receives little precipitation.[2] The average annual rainfall is 72 millimeters (2.8 in), usually confined to the winter months.[2] No permanent rivers or streams exist on any of the islands.[2] The winter rains tend to fall in brief, torrential downpours, flooding the shallowwadis that are dry the rest of the year and impeding transportation.[2] Little of therainwater is saved forirrigation or drinking.[2] However, there are numerous naturalsprings in the northern part of Bahrain and on adjacent islands.[2] Undergroundfreshwater deposits also extend beneath the Persian Gulf to the Saudi Arabian coast.[2] Since ancient times, these springs have attracted settlers to the archipelago.[2] Despite increasing salinization, the springs remain an important source ofdrinking water for Bahrain.[2] Since the early 1980s, however,desalination plants, which renderseawater suitable for domestic and industrial use, have provided about 60% of daily water consumption needs.[2]
| Climate data for Bahrain International Airport (1991–2020, extremes 1946–2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.7 (89.1) | 34.7 (94.5) | 40.0 (104.0) | 41.7 (107.1) | 46.7 (116.1) | 46.6 (115.9) | 47.4 (117.3) | 45.7 (114.3) | 45.5 (113.9) | 42.8 (109.0) | 37.2 (99.0) | 30.6 (87.1) | 47.4 (117.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.7 (69.3) | 22.0 (71.6) | 25.5 (77.9) | 30.6 (87.1) | 36.1 (97.0) | 38.6 (101.5) | 39.7 (103.5) | 39.6 (103.3) | 37.7 (99.9) | 34.0 (93.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 22.9 (73.2) | 31.3 (88.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.3 (70.3) | 26.0 (78.8) | 31.1 (88.0) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.1 (95.2) | 35.1 (95.2) | 33.2 (91.8) | 29.9 (85.8) | 24.6 (76.3) | 19.7 (67.5) | 27.2 (81.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) | 15.4 (59.7) | 18.1 (64.6) | 22.4 (72.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.5 (88.7) | 29.5 (85.1) | 26.4 (79.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 16.8 (62.2) | 23.7 (74.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5 (23) | 7.2 (45.0) | 7.8 (46.0) | 14.2 (57.6) | 18.7 (65.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 25.2 (77.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 18.8 (65.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 6.4 (43.5) | −5 (23) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 18.1 (0.71) | 13.0 (0.51) | 14.7 (0.58) | 5.8 (0.23) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.9 (0.04) | 16.8 (0.66) | 15.2 (0.60) | 85.1 (3.35) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 12.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 69.1 | 67.2 | 61.5 | 54.4 | 47.6 | 46.2 | 50.7 | 58.0 | 59.2 | 62.3 | 63.6 | 68.7 | 59.0 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) | 11.8 (53.2) | 13.1 (55.6) | 15.8 (60.4) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 22.5 (72.5) | 25.0 (77.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 21.5 (70.7) | 17.0 (62.6) | 13.7 (56.7) | 17.7 (63.9) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 231.5 | 220.6 | 245.1 | 256.3 | 316.4 | 343.7 | 336.6 | 334.1 | 315.9 | 306.0 | 249.0 | 235.4 | 3,390.4 |
| Source: NOAA[5][6] | |||||||||||||
Due toclimate change Bahrain is experiencing more frequent extreme heat, drought, flooding anddust storms and the threat of sea level rise. These conditions threaten Bahrain's food and water security, and are expected to become more severe in the future.[7] Despite being a relatively low-emitting country overall, Bahrain was the second highestgreenhouse gas emitter per capita in 2023, at approximately 42 tonnes per person.[8] Most of Bahrain's emissions arise from burningfossil fuels in the energy sector.[9] The nation has committed tonet zero by 2060[10] and also aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2035.[11]
Area:
total:780 km2
country comparison to the world: 188
Area comparative
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
Elevation extremes:
Maritime neighbours:
.svg)
Natural resources:
Land use:
Irrigated land:40.15 km2 (2003)
Total renewable water resources:0.12 m³ (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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-Kyoto Protocol,Desertification,Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea,Ozone Layer Protection,Wetlands
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) This article incorporatespublic domain material from"Bahrain".The World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA.26°00′N50°33′E / 26.000°N 50.550°E /26.000; 50.550
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