Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
While many islands are known for their natural beauty, there are islands dotting the world's seas that were formed by man rather than Mother Nature. Some of these man-made islands were created for flood protection, some were developed for tourism and others serve as wildlife sanctuaries. While many of these creations are true feats of engineering, there have been reports on the ecological impact of some of these artificial islands. Dubai's mega-projects such as the World Islands and the Palm Jumeirah, for example, are projects "so substantial that they have changed the ecology in ways that are only going to become clear in decades," said Peter Sale, a marine ecologist at the United Nations University (UNU) Institute for Water, Environment and Health who co-authored a report on the impact of development of the Gulf.
Part of the planned Palm Islands, a cluster of "manufactured" islands in the United Arab Emirates, Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago designed in the shape of a palm tree. It consists of a trunk, a crown with 16 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that forms an 6.8-mile-long breakwater and is now the home of the luxury resort Palm Atlantis Hotel. Construction on the Palm began in 2001, and it added 40 miles to Dubai's coastline. Once complete, the island will have hotel rooms and homes for 65,000 people, according to Guardian.
The Palm was created using 7 million tons of rock, according to its developer Nakheel. The island also includes a curved breakwater using natural rock, intended to encourage the creation of a natural reef and provide habitats for sea life. In 2009, the Palm Jumeirah Monorail opened to the public. It's the first monorail in the Middle East, and connects the trunk of Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis Aquaventure Station on the crescent and will ultimately connect the archipelago to the mainland.
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