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Bahrain is an island country in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. In order to facilitate easy transport between the two countries, the King Fahd Causeway was opened in 1986 which opened road transit. Along with the causeway, a man-made island was erected in the middle of the strait dubbed “Passport Island” which acts a border station between the countries.
For other maps on islands that are also key country borders, see this post on the Diomede Islands between Russia and USA/Alaska!
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
Passport Island is the only land border between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
Since Bahrain is an island country, Passport Island represents the only land border with any other country. The Bahrain and Saudi portions of the island are roughly equal in size, and the land border between the two countries is about 500 feet, making it one of the smallest land borders in the world.
There are passport checks and McDonald’s on the island
While the primary purpose of the island is border control (passport/customs checks for travelers between the two countries), the island does house other outlets. On the Bahrain side of the island hosts a McDonald’s and the Saudi side hosts a McDonalds, Starbucks and a Kudu, which is a Saudi fast food chain. Both sides also host mosques.
The busiest direction to travel through Passport Island is from Saudi Arabia into Bahrain
About 27,000 vehicles pass through Passport Island daily, though this number increases significantly on weekends. Traffic from Saudi Arabia into Bahrain picks up on weekends due to the less conservative politics and culture towards alcohol.
As of 2017, travelers only have to stop at one border post instead of both border posts – for instance, a traveler leaving Saudi Arabia for Bahrain would only have to pass through the Bahrain border posts instead of the exit station for Saudi Arabia and the entry station for Bahrain. This was introduced to reduce heavy congestion on the island.
Additional links and sources
- Article of quick facts about Passport Island (link)
Have you ever passed through Passport Island?
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