| Location | Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia |
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| Geographic coordinates | 26 00 N, 50 33 E |
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| Zone | Middle East |
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| Area | total: 665 sq km
land: 665 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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| Land boundaries | 0 km |
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| Coastline | 161 km |
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| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined |
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| Climate | arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers |
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| Terrain | mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m |
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| Natural resources | oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls |
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| Irrigated land | 161 km |
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| Natural hazards | periodic droughts; dust storms |
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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 |
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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 |
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| 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 |
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