Buzz
The strip of land connecting the border stations of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on Passport Island could potentially be the shortest land border in the world.
Passport Island - An Unusual Border across the Globe
There are over 10 countries worldwide with only one border adjacent to another country. Bahrain is the latest entrant to this list.
According to CNN, Bahrain, the third smallest country in Asia, is roughly the size of Austin, Texas, USA. This archipelago in the Gulf is situated 22 km east of Saudi Arabia and 48 km northwest of Qatar. So, what about the land border of this island nation?
In 1954, during the visit of King Saud of Saudi Arabia to the Kingdom of Bahrain, he proposed constructing a raised road to link the two countries. Bahrainis were also keen on the idea of transitioning from driving on the left to driving on the right like their neighbors. Consequently, Bahrain had to revamp the entire road map to accommodate this grand infrastructure project.
Tons of sand, gravel, and dredged rocks have sculpted a new border for Bahrain. The King Fahd Highway was inaugurated on November 12, 1986. What's intriguing is that the international border between the two countries is an artificial island in the middle of the causeway, called Passport Island.
Each country operates a border station on their respective part of the island, and the two halves are connected by a strip of land only 152 meters wide. It might even qualify as the shortest land border on Earth. When the entire project opened, it became the fourth longest man-made roadway.
Passport Island is no larger than a golf course in the Persian Gulf, yet it serves as an impressive pit stop after hours of driving between Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Each half of the island has its own mosque and fast-food brands.
Both sides boast a magnificent observation tower with a restaurant perched on top. There's nothing more serene and tranquil than enjoying some signature dishes like fattoush or moutabal while watching the sunset slowly sink into the vast sea.
You can spend hours on Passport Island—whether you want to or not.
But if you think Passport Island is a haven of mosques or fast-food joints, you'd be mistaken. This island frequently faces traffic issues. Most drivers on the King Fahd Highway are Saudis who leave after enjoying a day of leisure and shopping (taking advantage of Bahrain's more lenient cultural, shopping, and alcohol policies). Each day sees up to 27,000 vehicles pass through this route. On weekends, the number can double or triple, leading to passport control taking up to 3 hours.
Both countries have plans to expand the road to accommodate up to 45 lanes on Passport Island, and there's even talk of adding a second causeway with a railway line. Moreover, if the ambitious Qatar Bahrain Freedom Bridge project were to be built following a similar model, Bahrain could potentially become the only island nation in the world with two separate land borders.
As reported by Truong Dang/Vnexpress
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Reference: Travel Guide Mytour
MytourSeptember 28, 2018
