Does anybody have any interesting facts about Bahrain? Mostly related to business, economics and politics please.
Thank you for all your help Try these sites:
http://www.angelfire.com/mac/egmatthews/...
http://bahrainguide.org/
http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/ind...
These are also good blogs from Bahrainis. Insider observations of the what is happening in the country:
http://www.bahraini.tv/
http://mahmood.tv/ i dont know what u mean exactly by intersting but these are some facts
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Economy - overview
Petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. In 2005 Bahrain and the US ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$15.83 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.01 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$23,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 42.5%
services: 56.9% (2005 est.)
Labor force:
380,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 79%
services: 20% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $4.662 billion
expenditures: $3.447 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.)
Public debt:
51.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Industries:
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
7.345 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption:
6.83 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
188,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
26,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
124 million bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:
9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
92.03 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:
$1.569 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$11.17 billion (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 3%, US 2.9%, UAE 2.2% (2004)
Imports:
$7.83 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 32.4%, Japan 7.3%, Germany 6.1%, US 5.6%, UK 5.4%, France 4.8% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.433 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.831 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE and Kuwait (2002)
Currency (code):
Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Exchange rates:
Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002), 0.376 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
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political and goverment info and facts
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
Government type:
constitutional hereditary monarchy
Capital:
Manama
Administrative divisions:
12 municipalities (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Juzur Hawar, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama
Independence:
15 August 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection
Constitution:
new constitution 14 February 2002
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next election to be held in September 2006)
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Sunni Islamists 12, Shia grouping 7, other groupings and independents 21
note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14 February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25 December 2002
Judicial branch:
High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders:
political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests and marches, demanding that more power be vested in the elected Council of Representatives and that the government do more to decrease unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI
chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111
FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William T. MONROE
embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama
mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama
telephone: [973] 1724-2700
FAX: [973] 1727-0547 (consular)
Flag description:
red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam try visit this website for info
http://www.travelinfocentre.com/destinat... I am not the copy & paste type of guy. There are many facts, I don't know what you are interested in. But I can tell you that Bahrain is considered to be the number one financial center in the Gulf, even better than Dubai. Also, Bahrain is now trying to focus more on tourism. There are many new projects which are ready and many more in progress.
About the economy, prices are going up very fast and the prices of land and properties are rising fast.
For more specific info, e-mail me |
