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Bahrain - Geography (Facts)

Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 665 sq km land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 161 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls Land use: arable land: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005) Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2003) 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: 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