Bahrain, which means “two seas” is a small island country and was one of the first countries to convert to Islam around the year 628, but more importantly it’s home to wild flamingos. The hot, dry archipelago was part of the British empire until the early 70’s.
Their flag is predominantly red which is the traditional colour of Arab states in the Persian Gulf, in fact it was nothing but red before 1820. Here’s a couple of the flags they’ve used in the past:
Pre 1820:
1932 – 1972:
In 2002 the King of Bahrain made nine laws regarding the flag and its use. These new laws included a ban from using the flag on vehicles (except official vehicles), and a law that meant that any foreign vessel in Bahrain’s waters must fly it at all times. The punishment for misuse of the flag is up to one month in prison. He must really love that flag. It is nice but I think I prefer the older ones above. Don’t tell the King I said that though.
Current Flag of Bahrain:
MORE FLAG STUFF FROM LAZER HORSE HERE
Bahrain has a bustling bird population, with 330 species confirmed. They also get stop overs from millions of birds during the migration period. One of these visitors is the houbara bustard who is in the “vulnerable” category. Here he is:
The Saudis and Bahrani teamed up and built a bridge connecting the two countries, called the King Fahd Causeway, it opened in 1986 and is 25 km long. This is what it looks like from space:
This is the western end of the bridge looking east:
Just so you know, the longest bridge in the world is a rail bridge in China called Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge which is more than 164 km long and opened in 2011 after just four years construction work. Now that’s a bridge.
Someone in Bahrain isn’t short on cash. They’re currently building some man made islands called Durrat Al Bahrain to be developed into luxury dwellings. Here’s how they’re getting on:
They also completed the Amwaj Islands a few years back, which are slightly bigger, covering 30 million square feet:
Funny old world.
