Editing Geography of Bahrain (section)

==Geographical setting and islands==
Following the return of [[Hawar Islands|Janan]] to [[Qatar]] in March 2001, the state of Bahrain consists of 33 natural islands in the {{nowrap|Bahrain Islands}} archipelago.

Around most of Bahrain is a relatively shallow inlet of the Persian Gulf known as the [[Gulf of Bahrain]].<ref name=":11" /> The seabed adjacent to Bahrain is rocky and, mainly off the northern part of the island, covered by extensive coral reefs.<ref name=":11" /> Most of the island is a low-lying and barren desert.<ref name=":11" /> Outcroppings of limestone form low rolling hills, stubby cliffs, and shallow [[ravine]]s.<ref name=":11" /> The limestone is covered by various densities of saline sand, capable of supporting only the hardiest desert vegetation – chiefly thorn trees and scrub.<ref name=":11" /> There is a fertile strip five kilometres wide along the northern coast on which [[Date Palm|date]], [[almond]], [[ficus|fig]], and [[pomegranate]] trees grow.<ref name=":11" /> The interior contains an [[escarpment]] that rises to 134 meters, the highest point on the island, to form [[Jabal al Dukhan]] (Mountain of Smoke), named for the mists that often wreathe the summit.<ref name=":11" /> Most of the country's [[oil well]]s are situated in the vicinity of Jabal al Dukhan.<ref name=":11" />

One author writes about the geology of the nation: "Bahrein lies on a portion of the ancient [[Tethys Ocean]] geosynclinal belt represented today by the Persian Gulf. The formation of the principal island is the result of pressure from the mountain masses of Persia against the crystalline platform of central Asia, the thrust being absorbed by gentle folding in the geosynclines. The structure of Bahrein is that of a large, single, closed dome covering the entire faulting".

Rocks exposed at the surface consist of:

* Recent sands and [[coquina]]s forming flat, raised beaches surrounding the island from which the surface rises gradually to an elevation 150 to 200 feet above sea level. At this point it breaks away into inward-facing cliffs eighty to one hundred feet high completely surrounding an oval central depression about twelve miles long and four wide. 
* [[Pleistocene]] sands, cross-bedded and probably wind-deposited, lying in the canyon. 
* [[Miocene]] silicious clay covering a very limited area. 
* [[Eocene]] limestone covering most of the island, the central region of which, known as “Jabal Dukhān “Mountain of Smoke”, rises to a point 439 feet above sea level. The limestone is very porous and is the source of most of the water in the northern half of the island.<ref>Faroughy, Abbas. 1951. The Bahrein Islands (750-1951): A Contribution to the Study of Power Politics in the Persian Gulf. New York: Verry, Fisher & Co. Pages 14-15.</ref>

In addition to [[Bahrain Island]], other islands of significance include [[Nabih Saleh]], which is northwest of [[Sitrah]]; [[Jidda Island]] and [[Umm as Sabaan]], to the north of [[Umm a Nasan]]; and a [[Hawar Islands|group of islands]], the largest of which is [[Hawar (island)|Hawar]], near the coast of Qatar.<ref name=":11" /> Nabih Saleh contains several freshwater springs that are used to irrigate the island's the extensive date palm groves.<ref name=":11" /> The rocky islet of [[Jidda Island|Jiddah]] formerly housed the state prison<ref name=":11" /> but has now been converted to a holiday resort.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} Hawar and the fifteen small islands near it are the subject of a territorial dispute between [[Bahrain]] and [[Qatar]].<ref name=":11" /> Hawar is nineteen kilometres long and about one and one-half kilometres wide.<ref name=":11" /> The other islands (such as the [[Al Garum Islands]]) are uninhabited and are nesting sites for a variety of [[Bird migration|migratory birds]].<ref name=":11" />

In Bahrain [[forest cover]] is around 1% of the total land area, equivalent to 700 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 220 hectares (ha) in 1990. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under [[State ownership|public ownership]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref>