Carr (FFG 52) - Naval Cruise Book

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Abu Dhabi, Djibouti, and Bahrain Population 50,000 (1973 Est) Abu Dhabi is the capital of the Abu Dhabi Sheikhdom on the southeast shore of the Persian Gulf and the capital of the United Arab Emi- rates. Its climate is arid, with an average annual rainfall of 2.4 in. Income from oil production has transformed it from a fishing village in the 1960 ' s into a high rise city with an international airport and an artificial harbor. Djibouti Population 323,000 (1981 Est) Djibouti is a tiny republic situated just north of the Horn of Africa, on the Strait of Bab El- Mandeb, the gateway to the Red Sea. Nearly 90% of Djibouti is volcanic desert. It is one of the hottest places on earth with an aver- age annual temperature of 90 degrees. The aver- age annual rainfall is less than 5 in. and vegeta- tion is sparse. Salt extracted from the sea is Dji- bouti ' s major resource. Bahrain is an independent Emirate com- prising a group of low lying islands located in the Persian Gulf. The major island, Bahrain, is about 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. About 40% of the country ' s population live in Manama, the capital city. The climate is hot in Bahrain and rainfall is sparse. Summer temperate averages 93 degrees and winter temperature averages 63 de- grees. The majority of the population is Arab and nearly 70% are native-born. Arabic is the official language though Persian and English are under- stood widely. Islam, practiced by 95% of the pop- ulation, is the official religion. Bahrain continues to be a central oil-pro- ducing center but reserves are small and will probably be depleted by the end of the 20th cen- tury. Major efforts are being made in anticipa- tion of this. A large oil refinery was built to pro- cess oil piped from Saudi Arabia along with plants making steel pellets. It has also become a major regional banking and communications center. Dates and Alfalfa are grown extensively and also rice, citrus fruits and vegetables. Food must be imported. Bahrain gained independence from British protection in 1971 and elected not to join the United Arab Emirates. A constitution was adopt- ed in 1973 but the National Assembly was dis- solved in 1975 and the Emir has since ruled by degree. After the Iranian Revolution (1979) Iran revived a long standing claim to Bahrain. ti m- H ' Mf aip ■» t; ' ,. RR