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
water: 0 sq km
land: 665 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
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
contiguous zone: 24 nm |
| 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
Source: CIA World Factbook
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