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Aerial view of Palm Island in Dubai
Off the sandy coastline of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, are some one-of-a-kind islands. Artificial and manmade, these islands are shaped like palm trees, hence the name Palm Islands. Made from 12 million pounds of rock and over 53 million pounds of sand, these islands hold the record for being the largest manmade islands and can be seen from outer space.
Image credit: Tobias Karlhuber
This impressive archipelago was the vision of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and carried out by state-owned developer Nakheel Properties. The islands were thought up as way to deal with the decreasing oil revenue that resulted from depleted oil supplies. Despite having a projected fifteen year finish date, Palm Islands took only four years to finish.
The Palm Jumeirah is the only island that is open to the public and houses both commercial and residential real estate. The famous seven-star luxury hotel, Burj Al Arab is located on Jumeirah as well as other well-known tourist attractions like The Trunk and 16 Fronds.
The islands have generated millions for Nakheel, a cool $98 million in 2012. And it's because of this success that a proposal was made for a similar project to be constructed along the River Thames in London. The proposed two islands would house tourist attractions like opera houses, waterfront cafes and theaters and would be undertaken by the same firms involved with the Palm Islands in Dubai.
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