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: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Maritime claims: Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 760 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 188
land:
760 sq km
water:
0 sq km
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
161 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
extending to boundaries to be determined
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
More Climate Details
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point:
Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
arable land: 2.82%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops:
5.63%
other:
91.55% (2005)
40 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
0.1 cu km (1997)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total: 0.3 cu km/yr (40%/3%/57%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita:
411 cu m/yr (2000)
periodic droughts; dust storms
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