Surprising Laws Around the World

Intermediate
Culture & Entertainment
World

Vocabulary

explore
Verb
ɪkˈsploʊr
to travel around a place in order to learn more about it
I would like to explore the world.

historic
Adjective
hɪˈstɔːrɪk
important or famous in history; likely to be considered important in the future
They visited some historic ruins in Mexico.

insult
Verb
ɪnˈsəlt
to do or say something that offends someone or something
They took turns insulting each other.

appropriate
Adjective
əˈproʊpriːɪt
acceptable or right for a particular situation
Shorts are not appropriate for most offices.

litter
Verb
ˈlɪtər
to leave garbage lying around a place; to be spread around a place in an untidy way
Do not litter in the park.

punishment
Noun
ˈpənɪʃmənt
an act or way of making someone suffer for doing something wrong
The punishment for his crime was five years in jail.
Article
Surprising Laws Around the World
From exploring Greece's historic sites in high heels to running out of
gas on the motorway in Germany, here are some things that could get
you into trouble in different countries.

Egypt
In Egypt, it is against the law to climb the Great Pyramid of Giza. In
2016, German tourist Andrej Ciesielski was arrested for climbing the
pyramid to take pictures and video for social media. And while
Ciesielski was allowed to go free after having his camera checked, he
was banned from visiting Egypt ever again.

Thailand
It is illegal to insult the king in Thailand, and anyone who breaks this
law could go to prison for up to 15 years. Stepping on Thai banknotes
and coins – which have an image of the king on them – could also get
you in trouble.

Italy
If you're visiting the island of Capri, in Italy, make sure you have an
appropriate pair of shoes, as the island has banned noisy footwear
such as flip-flops and wooden sandals.

Building sandcastles is not allowed in Eraclea, a beach town near

Venice, and from 2018, you could be fined up to $550 for eating snacks
on some of the most historic streets of Florence.

Singapore
Singapore is one of the cleanest countries in the world. If someone is
caught littering more than once, they may have to clean the streets
wearing a bright pink and yellow vest as punishment.

Even chewing gum can get you in trouble. Singapore banned chewing
gum in 1992 to keep its streets clean. However, in 2004 the
government allowed pharmacists and dentists to sell medical chewing
gum.