Things you didn't know about Bahrain kingdom

Coming here, Vietnam U23 team will have a confrontation with Bahrain. So what do you know about this rival country?

Bahrain is an Arab monarchy country on the Persian Gulf consisting of a small archipelago centered around Bahrain island, located between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain's population reached 1.425 million in 2016, including nearly 700,000 foreigners, accounting for half of the total population.

1. Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East

This country is even smaller than the capital Hanoi.

With an area of ​​765.3 square kilometers, Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East and the third child in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. Even this country is smaller than the capital Hanoi (3,329km ² ).

Apart from the coup, Bahrain also has 33 islands. After that, thanks to artificial expansion, there were 84 islands. Due to the proximity of islands, and in shallow waters, Bahrain's map looks like a unified island on the map.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that the per capita land area in Bahrain is 4,212 people / square mile, the fourth largest in the world.

2. The country is 46 years old

Bahrain declared independence in 1971 after Iran's dominance.

Declaring independence in 1971 after the dominance of Iran, Bahrain joined the United Nations (UN) in the same year. Even in 2002, Bahrain officially declared becoming the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the administration of the royal family and the king.

3. Muslim beliefs

Bahrain is one of the earliest Muslim countries in the Middle East.

Bahrain is one of the earliest Muslim countries in the Middle East. The country recognized Islam as a state religion around 628 AD, just four years before Prophet Muhammad died. Interestingly, in the 5th century AD, Christianity was the main religion in Bahrain because of the Crusades as well as the invasion of Christians. By the 7th century AD, Muslims recaptured this land.

4. The most power consuming in Asia

Data from the International Energy Organization (IEA) shows that Bahrain is Asia's largest per capita electricity consumer and the third largest in the world after Iceland and Norway. This is understandable when people have to use air conditioners, refrigerators . in extremely hot weather conditions.

5. The Gulf State first discovered oil

In 1932, this place discovered oil.

Bahrain was the first Arab country in the Gulf to discover oil in 1932. In fact, this country used to depend mainly on fisheries, pearls . to live but with the decline of the market. pearls, Bahraini people had to find new ways to earn a living.

6. The first Middle Eastern nation does not rely on oil

Despite discovering oil and exploiting 40,000 barrels a day, Bahrain does not want to be too dependent on this "black gold" .

Since the end of the 20th century, Bahrain has invested heavily in banking and tourism . Examinations from these two sectors make Bahrain not dependent too much on oil and gas as other Middle East neighbors. According to the World Bank, Bahrain is a high-income country with GDP on average purchasing power equivalent to US $ 51,956 / person, ranking 13th in the world. The country's Human Development Index (HDI) also reached 0.824, ranking 47 out of 182 countries.

The Bahrain Dollar is currently a strong value in the top 5 most valuable currencies in the world.

7. Cultural heritage

Bahrain, which is located on the main trade axis between Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, has been invaded by many forces, thereby propagating and building their culture. Therefore, there are many cultural and architectural heritages as well as historical relics. A series of temples, fortresses and tombs in Bahrain have been recognized by the World Cultural Heritage Organization (UNESCO).

8. High income countries lack food

Similar to Japan, Bahrain, despite its high per capita income, lacks resources and imports most food and foodstuffs. Only about 2.82% of the area in Bahrain is cultivable and mainly due to drip irrigation due to severe water shortage.

This is one of the reasons why the consumer price in Bahrain is quite expensive and the tourism here is almost exclusively for the rich.

Chicken rice dish is symbolic dish of Bahrain.

In terms of cuisine, Bahrain has a cooking style similar to Muslim countries in the Middle East with chicken rice dish which is the national symbol dish.

9. Strong military force

Although it is a small country, but because it has been invaded for many years, Bahrain pays great attention to defense. This small country has up to 13,000 permanent soldiers with a huge line of aircraft and tanks in the Middle East. The budget per capita spent on defense of Bahrain reached 935.8 USD / person, the 9th highest in the world. In 2017, this country spent nearly 1.4 billion USD for the army.

10. Strange things

In Bahrain, women have the right to vote as well as to join the army.

Although it is a Muslim country but has been influenced by many cultures, Bahrain has many interesting things. For example, women have the right to vote as well as to join the army, which is extremely rare in Muslim countries. Or whether a male doctor is allowed to examine the vagina for female patients, but must look through a glass and forbid seeing straight.

In addition, some unofficial sources say Bahrain currently has no public beach when almost every beach here has been privatized or given to the royal family during the past 20 years. The amount of beaches open to the public in Bahrain is currently less than 5%. As mentioned above, Bahrain is a country for the rich and not a normal tourist can stay long.