10 Amazing Artificial Islands of the World: Amwaj Islands, Bahrain

Amwaj Islands, Bahrain

Aerial view of a group of man-made islands located in the northeast of Bahrain. (Wikimedia/Alhaddadm)

A group of planned man-made islands located in the northeast of Bahrain, near the coast of Muharraq island, the Amwaj Islands cover roughly 30 million square feet. They are a pioneering project in Bahrain, the first to offer 100 percent freehold land ownership to expatriates living in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Amwaj Islands project began in 2002; islands were reclaimed from the relatively shallow seas to the northeast of Muharraq Island, the northernmost island in Bahrain. To protect the new development from storms and erosion from the sea, a broad-crested breakwater reef has been constructed around the island from the west to the east on the northern side, according to DesignBuild-Network. ?The key element in the design of the project was the use of the sand and stone-filled "geotubes" to form the island perimeter. The Islands contain residential, commercial and hotel and retail buildings, and a "floating city" reminiscent of Venice named Al Marsa, according to ArabianBusiness.com.