| 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 |
| 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% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
50 sq km (1998 est.) |
| 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, 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. |
