Extended economic zone: to median line;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: boundary with UAE is in dispute; territorial dispute with
Bahrain over the Hawar Islands
Climate: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer
Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, fish
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 95% other
Environment: haze, duststorms, sandstorms common; limited freshwater resources mean increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major crude oil sources
- People
Population: 490,897 (July 1990), growth rate 5.7% (1990)