9 Interesting Facts About Bahrain

1. Due to a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia from 1957 to 2018, the causeway was the only bridge in the world where women could drive on it one side, that is the Bahrain side, but not the other, that is Saudi Arabia side. The border is located roughly halfway across the causeway.

2. According to statistics released by the International Energy Agency last October, Bahrain is the biggest per-capita consumer of electricity in Asia, and the third most power-thirsty state on the planet, behind Iceland and Norway.

3. Bahrain is home to the Tree of Life, a single mesquite tree planted around 1583 in the southern desert. It is still unclear what sustains the tree as there are no obvious water sources nearby.

4. The country’s natives love coffee. They consider the “ritual” of coffee drinking one of the most important aspects of their social life. That’s why there are so many coffee shops where one can enjoy a cup of coffee while talking with friends. The coffee offered in Bahrain has a different taste than European coffee since it’s flavoured with either cardamom or saffron.

5. Clicking pictures of locals without their consent is illegal. For photographing local residents without their consent in Bahrain, you can go to jail, as this is considered an encroachment on personal life.

6. Believe it or not, the normal words we use like pig, pork and bacon are among the most bleeped out words in television broadcasts. This is because pig is considered “haram” or unclean in Islamic culture.

7. The Bahrain World Trade Center is the first building in the world which has incorporated wind turbines in its design and architecture.

8. The country’s education system said to be the oldest in the Arabian Peninsula is divided into primary, intermediate and secondary levels. Since education is free and compulsory for boys and girls, the majority of the natives can read and write. The government can be proud of the fact that the efforts that were made in terms of education resulted in a high level of female literacy.

9. Even though Bahrain is rapidly developing and becoming closer to other urban cities of the world, the natives respect and keep on following the traditions that were passed to them by their ancestors. People never forget to devote time to spiritual development and respect their elder relatives who have the right to permit or forbid to do something.

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