The terrestrial landscape in Bahrain is predominantly arid desert with limited inland waters along with outcroppings of limestone structures that portray low hills and cliffs. This supports desert vegetation mainly thorn trees and scrubs due to the saline sand soil. With a mostly flat topography, the highest point on Bahrain’s main island is Jabal Al Dukhan at 135 meters (Bahrain’s Third National Communication Report, 2020). The Jabal’s name, which translates to Mountain of Smoke, is attributed to the black mist that often engulfs it.

Bahrain is characterized by a predominantly desert habitat with limited arable land, known as the fertile strip, located along the north and northwestern coast of the country. Arable land accounts for 2.1% of the total land mass (Bahrain’s Third National Communication Report, 2020) and is recorded to sustain growth of various fruits such as dates, almonds, pomegranate, figs, and olive trees. Alternatively, the marine biotopes are diverse albeit the prevailing harsh physical environment and include extensive seagrass beds and mudflats, patchy coral reefs as well as offshore islands.