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In 1783, the Sunni Al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. In addition, the Sunni-led government has struggled to manage relations with its large Shia-majority population. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Shia activists mounted a low-intensity uprising to demand that the Sunni-led government stop systemic economic, social, and political discrimination against Shia Bahrainis. King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa, after succeeding his late father in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms in part to improve relations with the Shia community. After boycotting the country's first round of national elections under the newly-promulgated constitution in 2002, the main Shia political opposition group Wifaq participated in 2006 and 2010, winning the largest bloc of seats in the elected lower house of the legislature both times. In early 2011, Bahrain's fractious opposition sought to ride a rising tide of popular Arab protests to petition for the redress of popular grievances. Behind the scenes, the reform-minded Crown Prince Salman bin HAMAD Al-Khalifa worked with the Shia-led opposition to reach a deal to calm the situation. However, in mid-March 2011, with the backing of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - including a contingent of mostly Saudi and Emirati forces - King HAMAD put a sudden end to the unrest in the capital and the backchannel talks by declaring a state of emergency. The crackdown on the Shia population that accompanied the state of emergency compounded longstanding grievances. Since that time, intermittent efforts at political dialogue between the government and mainstream opposition have remained at a stalemate, empowering hardline Shia voices that seek to force political change through violence rather than talks. Despite this impasse, Manama has unilaterally implemented selective reforms, including minor constitutional amendments to the operation of the legislature and a host of administrative changes and reparations pursuant to the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), a fact-finding commission formed at Manama's invitation to investigate abuses during the unrest and state of emergency.
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)
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad Al-Khalifa (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government:
Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Jawad bin Salim al-ARAIDH, Khalid bin Abdullah Al KHALIFA
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Shura Council or Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly elected to serve four-year terms)
elections:
Council of Representatives - last held in two rounds on 23 and 30 October 2010 (next election to be held in 2014); byelections to fill 18 vacated seats held in two rounds on 24 September and 1 October 2011
election results:
Council of Representatives (2010) - percent of vote by society - NA; seats by society - Wifaq (Shia) 18, Asala (Sunni Salafi) 3, Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 2, independents 17; Council of Representatives byelection for 18 vacated seats (2011) - seats by society - independent Sunni 8, Asala (Sunni Salafi) 1, independent Shia 8, Islamic Society League (Shia) 1, ; note - Bahrain has societies rather than parties
note: political parties are prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law
progovernment:
Arab Islamic Center Society [Ahmad Sanad AL-BENALI]; Constitutional Gathering Society; Islamic Asalah [Abd al-Halim MURAD]; Islamic Saff Society [Abdullah Khalil BU GHAMAR]; Islamic Shura Society; Movement of National Justice Society [Muhi al-Din KHAN]; National Action Charter Society [Muhammad AL-BUAYNAYN]; National Dialogue Society; National Islamic Minbar [Ali AHMAD]; National Unity Gathering [Abdullah AL-HUWAYHI]
oppositon:
National Democratic Action Society [Ibrahim SHARIF]; National Democratic Assemblage [Fadhil ABBAS]; National Democratic Assembly [Hasan AL-ALI]; National Fraternity Society [Musa AL-ANSARI]; National Islamic Society [Ali SALMAN]; National Progressive Tribune [Abd al-Nabi SALMAN]
Shia:
14 February Revolution Youth Coalition; Bahrain Islamic Freedom Movement [Said SHIHABI]; Haqq Movement [Hasan MUSHAYMA]; Islamic Amal [Muhammad Ali AL-MAHFUDH]; Khalas [Abd al-Rauf AL-SHAYIB]; Wafa Islamic Society [Abd al-Wahab HUSAYN]
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
note:until 2002 the flag had eight white points, but this was reduced to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag
note:adopted 1971; although Mohamed Sudqi AYYASH wrote the original lyrics, they were changed in 2002 following the transformation of Bahrain from an emirate to a kingdom
Bahrain is one of the most diversified economies in the Persian Gulf. Highly developed communication and transport facilities make Bahrain home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. As part of its diversification plans, Bahrain implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US in August 2006, the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Bahrain's economy, however, continues to depend heavily on oil. Petroleum production and refining account for more than 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries). Other major economic activities are production of aluminum - Bahrain's second biggest export after oil - finance, and construction. Bahrain competes with Malaysia as a worldwide center for Islamic banking and continues to seek new natural gas supplies as feedstock to support its expanding petrochemical and aluminum industries. In 2011 and continuing into 2012, Bahrain experienced economic setbacks as a result of domestic unrest. Bahrain's reputation as a financial hub of the Gulf has been damaged, and the country now risks losing financial institutions to other regional centers such as Dubai or Doha. Economic policies aimed at restoring confidence in Bahrain's economy, such as the suspension of an expatriate labor tax, will make Bahrain's foremost long-term economic challenges - youth unemployment and the growth of government debt - more difficult to address.
domestic:
modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones
international:
country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth station - 1 (2007)
state-run Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) operates 5 terrestrial TV networks and several radio stations; satellite TV systems provide access to international broadcasts; 1 private FM station directs broadcasts to Indian listeners; radio and TV broadcasts from countries in the region are available (2007)
Bahrain Defense Force (BDF): Royal Bahraini Army (RBA), Royal Bahraini Navy (RBN), Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF), Royal Bahraini Air Defense Force (RBADF) (2012)
The online Factbook is updated weekly. ISSN 1553-8133
For additional information on government leaders in selected foreign countries, go to World Leaders.
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