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Compare Bahrain (2007) - Kosovo (2008)

Compare Bahrain (2007) z Kosovo (2008)

 Bahrain (2007)Kosovo (2008)
 BahrainKosovo
Administrative divisions 5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat


note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor
30 municipalities (komunat, singular - komuna in Albanian; opstine, singular - opstina in Serbian); Decan (Decani), Dragash (Dragas), Ferizaj (Urosevac), Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje), Gjakove (Dakovica), Gllogoc/Drenas (Glogovac), Gjilan (Gnjilane), Istog (Istok), Kacanik, Kline (Klina), Kamenice/Dardana (Kamenica), Leposaviq (Leposavic), Lipjan (Lipljan), Malisheve (Malisevo), Mitrovice (Mitrovica), Novoberde (Novo Brdo), Obiliq (Obilic), Peje (Pec), Podujeve (Podujevo), Prishtine (Pristina), Prizren, Rahovec (Orahovac), Shtime (Stimlje), Shterpce (Strpce), Skenderaj (Srbica), Suhareke (Suva Reka), Viti (Vitina), Vushtrri (Vucitrn), Zubin Potok, Zvecan
Age structure 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 96,217/female 94,275)


15-64 years: 69.5% (male 284,662/female 207,555)


65 years and over: 3.7% (male 13,451/female 12,413) (2007 est.)
-
Agriculture - products fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish NA
Airports 3 (2007) 10 (2008)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


over 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
total: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 4 (2008)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 4


under 914 m: 4 (2008)
Area total: 665 sq km


land: 665 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 10,887 sq km


land: 10,887 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than Delaware
Background In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shi'a community and Shi'a political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shi'a political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shi'a discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence. Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century, but did not fully incorporate them into the Serbian realm until the early 13th century. The Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule, during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War (1912), and after World War II (1945) the government of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Josip Broz TITO reorganized Kosovo as an autonomous province within the constituent republic of Serbia. Over the next four decades, Kosovo Albanians lobbied for greater autonomy and Kosovo was granted the status almost equal to that of a republic in the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution. Despite the legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s leading to nationalist riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. Serbs in Kosovo complained of mistreatment and Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited those charges to win support among Serbian voters, many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that drastically curtailed Kosovo's autonomy and Kosovo Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent from Serbia. The MILOSEVIC regime carried out repressive measures against the Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial government of Kosovo, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, tried to use passive resistance to gain international assistance and recognition of its demands for independence. In 1995, Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's nonviolent strategy created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. In 1998, MILOSEVIC authorized a counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians by Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces. The international community tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, but MILOSEVIC rejected the proposed international settlement - the Rambouillet Accords - leading to a three-month NATO bombing of Serbia beginning in March 1999, which forced Serbia to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. Under the resolution, Serbia's territorial integrity was protected, but it was UNMIK who assumed responsibility for governing Kosovo. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework, which established Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG), and in succeeding years UNMIK increasingly devolved responsibilities to the PISG. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's future status. Negotiations held intermittently between 2006 and 2007 on issues related to decentralization, religious heritage, and minority rights failed to yield a resolution between Serbia's willingness to grant a high degree of autonomy and the Albanians' call for full independence for Kosovo. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared its independence from Serbia.
Birth rate 17.53 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Budget revenues: $4.894 billion


expenditures: $4.516 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $893.2 million


expenditures: $796.6 million (2006 est.)
Capital name: Manama


geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E


time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Pristina (Prishtine)


geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December
Coastline 161 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution adopted 14 February 2002 Constitutional Framework of 2001; note - the Kosovo Government is charged with putting forward an AHTISAARI (UN Special Envoy) Plan-compliant draft of a new constitution soon after independence
Country name conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain


conventional short form: Bahrain


local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn


local short form: Al Bahrayn


former: Dilmun
conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo


conventional short form: Kosovo


local long form: Republika e Kosoves (Republika Kosova)


local short form: Kosova (Kosovo)


former: Kosovo i Metohija, Autonomna Pokrajina
Death rate 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Debt - external $7.159 billion (2006 est.) Serbia continued to pay Kosovo's external debt, which it claimed was around $1.2 billion; Kosovo was willing to accept around $900 million, according to the national bank of Serbia (2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador J. Adam ERELI


embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama


mailing address: PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama


telephone: [973] 1724-2700


FAX: [973] 1727-0547
-
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI


chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111


FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192


consulate(s) general: New York
-
Disputes - international none Serbia with several other states protest the US and other states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo; Kosovo authorities object to alignment of the Kosovo boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement
Economic aid - recipient $103.9 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE and Kuwait (2004) $252 million (2006)
Economy - overview With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries), underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. Kosovo's economy has largely transitioned to a market-based system but is highly dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from the diaspora - located mainly in Germany and Switzerland - account for about 30% of GDP. Kosovo's citizens are the poorest in Europe with an average per capita income of only $1900 - about one-third the level of neighboring Albania. Unemployment - at 50% of the population - is a severe problem that encourages outward migration. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the largest city, Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence farming is common - the result of small plots, limited mechanization, and lack of technical expertise. The complexity of Serbia and Kosovo's political and legal relationships created uncertainty over property rights and hindered the privatization of state-owned assets. Minerals and metals - including lignite, lead, zinc, nickel, chrome, aluminum, magnesium, and a wide variety of construction materials - once formed the backbone of industry, but output has declined because investment is insufficient to replace ageing Eastern Bloc equipment. Technical and financial problems in the power sector also impede industrial development, and deter foreign investment. Economic growth is largely driven by the private sector - mostly small-scale retail businesses. Both the euro and the Serbian dinar circulate. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped keep inflation low. Kosovo has maintained a budget surplus as a result of efficient tax collection and inefficient spending. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the EU and Kosovo's provisional government to accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment. In order to help integrate Kosovo into regional economic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006.
Electricity - consumption 7.614 billion kWh (2005) 4.281 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) -
Electricity - production 8.187 billion kWh (2005) 3.996 billion kWh (2006)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m


highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim 297 m (located on the border with Albania)


highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,565 m
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census) Albanians 88%, Serbs 7%, other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk)
Exchange rates Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002) Serbian dinars per US dollar - 54.5 (2008 est.)
Executive branch chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)


head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
chief of state: President Fatmir SEJDIU (since 10 February 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Hashim THACI (since 9 January 2008)


cabinet: ministers; elected by the Kosovo Assembly


elections: the president is elected for a 5-year term by the Kosovo Assembly; the prime minister is elected by the Kosovo Assembly


election results: Fatmir SEJDIU and Hashim THACI elected to be president and prime minister respectively by the Assembly
Exports NA bbl/day $13.08 million (2006)
Exports - commodities petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles scrap metals, mining and processed metal products, plastics, wood
Exports - partners Saudi Arabia 3.2%, US 3%, Japan 2.3%


note: excludes oil exports (2006)
Central Europe Free Trade Area (CFTA) 56% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year -
Flag description red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam centered on a dark blue field is the shape of Kosovo in a gold color surmounted by six white, five-pointed stars - each representing one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo - arrayed in a slight arc
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 0.3%


industry: 45%


services: 54.6% (2006 est.)
agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: NA
GDP - real growth rate 7.1% (2006 est.) 2.6% (2007)
Geographic coordinates 26 00 N, 50 33 E 42 35 N, 21 00 E
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 -
Heliports 1 (2007) 2 (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
-
Imports NA bbl/day $84.99 million (2006)
Imports - commodities crude oil, machinery, chemicals petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and electrical equipment
Imports - partners Saudi Arabia 37.6%, Japan 6.8%, US 6.2%, UK 6.2%, Germany 5.1%, UAE 4.2% (2006) Central Europe Free Trade Area (CFTA) 48% (2006)
Independence 15 August 1971 (from UK) -
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2000 est.) -
Industries petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism NA
Infant mortality rate total: 16.18 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 18.89 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
-
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.1% (2006 est.) 2% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO -
Irrigated land 40 sq km (2003) -
Judicial branch High Civil Appeals Court Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); district courts judges are appointed by the SRSG; municipal courts judges are appointed by the SRSG
Labor force 352,000


note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.)
832,000 (June 2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 1%


industry: 79%


services: 20% (1997 est.)
agriculture: 21.4%


industry: NA


services: NA (2006)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 700.7 km


border countries: Albania 111.8 km, Macedonia 158.7 km, Montenegro 78.6 km, Serbia 351.6 km
Land use arable land: 2.82%


permanent crops: 5.63%


other: 91.55% (2005)
-
Languages Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu Albanian, Serbian, Bosniak, Turkish
Legal system based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction evolving legal system based on terms of UN Special Envoy Martii AHTISAARI's Plan for Kosovo's supervised independence
Legislative branch bicameral legislature consists of the Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly elected to serve four-year terms)


elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December 2006 (next election to be held in 2010)


election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11; note - seats by party as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8, al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4, unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1
unicameral Kosovo Assembly of the Provisional Government (120 seats; 100 seats directly elected, 10 seats for Serbs, 10 seats for other minorities; to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2007 (next to be held NA)


election results: percent of vote by party - Democratic Party of Kosovo 34.3%, Democratic League of Kosovo 22.6%, New Kosovo Alliance 12.3%, Democratic League of Dardania-Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 10.0%, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 9.6%; seats by party - Democratic Party of Kosovo 37, Democratic League of Kosovo 25, New Kosovo Alliance 13, Democratic League of Dardania-Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 11, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 10
Life expectancy at birth total population: 74.68 years


male: 72.18 years


female: 77.25 years (2007 est.)
-
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86.5%


male: 88.6%


female: 83.6% (2001 census)
-
Location Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia Southeast Europe, between Serbia and Macedonia
Map references Middle East Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 220,264 GRT/314,289 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2007)
-
Military branches Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.5% (2006) -
National holiday National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection -
Nationality noun: Bahraini(s)


adjective: Bahraini
noun: Kosovoan


adjective: Kosovoan
Natural hazards periodic droughts; dust storms -
Natural resources oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite
Net migration rate 0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Pipelines gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo or PSHDK [Mark KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush HARADINAJ]; Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Kososvo and Metohija or SDSKiM [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; Autonomous Liberal Party of SLS [Slobodan PETROVIC]; Bosniak Vakat Coalition [ Dzezair MURATI]; Citizens' Initiative of Gora or GIG [Murselj HALILI]; Council of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo or SNSDKIM [Ljubisa ZIVIC]; Democratic League of Dardania or LDD [Nexhat DACI]; Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Fatmir SEJDIU]; Democratic Party of Ashkali of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit RRAHMANI]; Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim THACI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP [Mahir YAGCILAR]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Xhevdet Neziraj]; New Democratic Party or ND [Branislav GRBIC]; New Kosovo Alliance [Behgjet PACOLLI]; Popular Movement of Kosovo or LPK [Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Reform Party Ora; Serb National Party or SNS [Mihailo SCEPANOVIC]; Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Party or SKMS [Dragisa MIRIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi MERXHA]; Democratic Action Party or SDA [Numan BALIC]
Political pressure groups and leaders Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests with occasional low-level violence; protests related to a host of issues, including the 2002 constitution, elections, unemployment, and release of detainees; Sunni Islamist legislators support a greater role for Shari'a in daily life; several small leftist and other groups are active -
Population 708,573


note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2007 est.)
2,126,708 (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 30% (2006 est.)
Population growth rate 1.392% (2007 est.) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) -
Railways - total: 430 km (2005)
Religions Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census) Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.021 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.372 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.084 male(s)/female


total population: 1.255 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
-
Suffrage 20 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern system


domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones


international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 (2007)
-
Telephones - main lines in use 193,300 (2006) 106,300 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 898,900 (2006) 562,000 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1997) -
Terrain mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment flat fluvial basin with an elevation of 400-700 m above sea level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of 2,000 to 2,500 m
Total fertility rate 2.57 children born/woman (2007 est.) -
Unemployment rate 15% (2005 est.) 50% (2007 est.)
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