List of GCC countries, Gulf countries
List of six Arab GCC (or AGCC) countries (Gulf countries), citizen nationalities, nations, or member states is Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE. Yemen and Iran are Muslim countries but not GCC members. Population statistics, foreign expat resident percentages, currency, land area, other figures and data.
Bahrain - or Kingdom of Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman - or Sultanate of Oman
Saudi Arabia - or Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
UAE - United Arab Emirates
Total and average figures for GCC countries
- Total GCC population is about 42-45 million as of July 2014 (using an estimate of about 7-8m for the UAE). About 60% of the total is for Saudi Arabia.
| Bahrain | Kuwait | Oman | Saudi Arabi (KSA) | UAE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Manama | Kuwait City | Muscat | Riyadh | Abu Dhabi |
| Ruler | Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa | Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah | Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said | King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Title, date | King, since Mar 1999 | King from 23 Jan 2015 | President, since Nov 2004 | ||
| Population2,3 | 1,314,089 (2014, CIA) | 2,742,711 (2014, CIA) | 3,219,775 (2014, CIA) | 27,345,986 (2014, CIA) | 9.2m (2013, World Bank)4 |
| Population2 | 1,106,509 (July 2008, CIO) | 3,996,899 (2014, PACI) | 8,264,070 (2010, NBS)4 | ||
| Land Area | 741 sq km | 2.15m sq km | 83,600 sq km | ||
| Currency | Bahraini Riyal | Kuwaiti Dinar | Omani Riyal | Saudi Riyal | Dirham AED |
| Citizens | Bahrainis | Kuwaitis | Omanis | Saudis or Saudi Arabians | Emiratis |
| Citizenship | Father, not birthplace | Father, not birthplace | Father, not birthplace | Father, not birthplace | Father, not birthplace |
| Percentage expats5 | 55% (UN, 2013) | 70% (PACI, 2014) | 30% (UN, 2013) | 30% (UN, 2013) | 80-90% |
| Airlines | Gulf Air | Kuwait Airways | Oman Air | Saudia | Etihad Airways |
- All five GCC or Gulf countries have part or all of their coast line on the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf).
- All GCC member states refer to the body of water as the Arabaian Gulf and dislike references to the Persian Gulf.
- Iran refers to it as the Persian Gulf and strongly dislikes references to the Arabian Gulf.
- Most of the rest of the world calls it the Persian Gulf but doesn't get as upset about it being called the Arabian Gulf as the Iranians do (they do have a very stong opinion about it).
- Officially it is the Persian Gulf. Officially meaning what the UN calls it, what most world atlases call it. But it is not the official name according to GCC countries.
- Since we are more interested in trying not to annoy GCC countries we'll call it the Arabian Gulf.
Gulf Countries include Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain among others.
They are called 'GULF COUNTRIES' because they are situated on the Persian Gulf.
Gulf Countries are 6: Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain. They are called so because they are members of the GCC. It's a common misconception that they are named because they have coasts on the Gulf, they are actually named after the council, which was named after the Gulf.
The phrase Gulf Countries is actually a colloquial one, so is the GCC, although they are much more common than the official name: The Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman. The GCC was established in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, in May 1981.
The important reasons of GCC (Gulf cooperation council) are:
- Formulating similar regulations in various fields such as religion, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, and administration
- Fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources
- Establishing scientific research centers
- Setting up joint ventures
- Unified military (Peninsula shield force)
- Encouraging cooperation of the private sector
- Strengthening ties between their people
- Establishing a common currency
