|
|
The Research on this page was compiled by:
 Joao Paulo Cavalcanti - A student ant UCLA Majoring in Global Studies and Intl. Development, hoping to help our world become sustainable in every way.
| |
|
An archipelago made up
of some 30 islands, Bahrain was once viewed by the ancient Sumerians
as an island paradise to which the wise and the brave were taken
to enjoy eternal life.
With the current harsh Gulf climate, however, it is mostly desert.
It still plays a traditional role as an important trading centre.
Bahrain - whose name means "two seas" - was one of the
first states in the Gulf to discover oil and to build a refinery.
As such, it saw the benefits of the new oil wealth before most of
its neighbours. But it never reached the levels of production enjoyed
by Kuwait or Saudi Arabia and has been forced to diversify its economy.
The country has been headed since 1783 by the al-Khalifah family,
members of the Sunni Bani Utbah tribe, who succeeded in expelling
the Persians. From 1861, when a treaty was signed with Britain,
until independence in 1971, Bahrain was virtually a British protectorate.
The king is the supreme authority and the ruling family holds all
important political and military posts. Since the National Assembly
was dissolved in 1975, there have been outbreaks of civil unrest
involving the Shia majority.
In 2001 Bahrainis strongly backed proposals put by the emir - now
the king - to turn the country into a constitutional monarchy with
an elected parliament and an independent judiciary.
Elections were duly held in 2002 for a 40-member
parliament, the Council of Deputies. It was the first such poll
in nearly 30 years.
The new body included a dozen Shia MPs.The country
has also been enjoying increasing freedom of expression, and monitors
report that the human rights situation has improved.
However, opposition groups and campaigners continue
to press for political reforms, including greater powers for the
elected assembly.
The island state has for the past few years been
a centre for tourists from the region taking advantage of its relaxed
social environment. A close ally of the US, it is home to the American
navy's Fifth Fleet.
-BBC News
|
Climate:
Arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Life Expectancy:
73 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)
Monetary Unit:
1 Bahraini dinar = 1,000 fils
Main Exports:
Petroleum and petroleum products, aluminium
GNI per capita:
US $12,410 (World Bank, 2005)
|
click title to collapse or expand
Poverty
An
archipelago located in the Persian Gulf and east of Saudi Arabia,
makes the Kingdom of Bahrain the home of many multinationals with
business in the region. Together with the other Gulf countries, the
archipelago holds 53% of world’s known oil reserves and produces 1/3
of the world’s daily output. Even though considered to be an oil-rich
country and historically having its economy dependent on oil exports,
the Bahraini government worries about the country’s future regarding
a possible long-term unemployment increase, due to current depletion
of such resource and underground water. With an uncertain future and
a population of more than 700,000 – 235,000 non-nationals - and having
a growth rate of 1.45% made the Bahrain government take serious actions
to modernize the country. And as a start, Bahrain has made its communication
and transportation facilities highly developed and efficient.
Human Rights
Bahrain
is not considered a free country by many people and is internationally
known for its human rights violations especially against freedom
of expression. Although a recent Press & Publications Law was
issued, it is considered to violate international standards on freedom
of Expression, especially after journalists were prosecuted as a
result of having connections with articles that appeared in the
national press. Also, due to ill treatment and lack of access to
lawyers, many prisoners recently went on hunger strike.
Even though already having an independent Human
Rights group, the Bahrain Human Rights Society and Committee, the
Bahraini government has created the Gulf’s first Human Rights centre:
The Bahrain Human Rights Centre. Thus, to safeguard the reform process
in the creation of a Human Rights culture, Bahrainis prefer religious
leaders to be in charge. The center is responsible to promote political,
civil, economic, cultural and development of civil society issues
and rights.
Lately, the UN Convention on the elimination of
all forms of discrimination against women and the UN convention
on the rights of the child were ratified.
No doubt the local government is trying to follow
international Human Rights standards, but ordering the blocking
of several websites including one from an opposition political party,
and continuous clashes against the Bahrain Human Rights Centre,
does not help. The most recent blocked website was www.bahrainrights.org,
making it inaccessible for Internet users in Bahrain.
Aids/Disease
Bahrain
has a very low rate of disease infection, but the increase in both
the practice of unprotected sexual contact and the use of injection
drugs has made the archipelago population very concerned with a
possible infection increase. Fortunately, HIV cases among pregnant
women are few and sporadic, making it very helpful to contain the
spread.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the major cause
of morbidity and mortality in Bahrain. Smoking, obesity, diabetes,
hypertension, hyperlipidemia, physical activity and nutrition are
considered. In addition, recent research shows the sickle-cell disease
(SCD) among 2% of the newborns and approximately 18% of the population
has a SCD trait.
Environment
The
islands are mostly desert and only having 2.82% of arable land and
the lack of freshwater resources makes desertification a key problem
in the near future. Having to develop and modernize fast, the degradation
of limited arable land, periods of droughts and dust storms, and
coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea
vegetation) makes the environment unsustainable.
Recently, The Government of Bahrain declared that
economic development and environmental management are complimentary
aspects and believes that without adequate environmental protection,
development will be undermined. With this in mind, the Environmental
Protection Committee (EPC) and the Environmental Protection Technical
Secretariat (EPTS) were formed. As a result, a “Mission of the Environmental
Affairs” and a new “Environmental Policy” were created.
Literacy/Education
As
most parts of the world, men have a higher level of education. More
than 89.1% of the population is able to read and write. Even though
Bahrain has a high percentage of population literacy, the shortage
of trainers and the lack of teachers is becoming a national concern.
Basic necessities for a proper education such as the improvement of
school buildings and an applied curriculum, needs to be set up.
Charitable Organizations
EEF@Bahrain
.. Bahrain .. Arabian Gulf - Our mission is to bring
our people and ourselves closer to our environment. To feel it,
love it and take the lead in protecting it. We can not promise to
bring you everything you need to know about the Environment, but
we’ll try to provide you with information, gates and leads to what
you can do from your end to contribute in saving your environment.
Every loving, caring and devoted individual or organization
is invited to join.
Volunteer Opportunities
Information Currently Unavailable
|
world country guide 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
