Created using 7 million tons of rock and 94 million cubic meters of sand Palm Jumeirah is the world’s largest man-made island.
The island, in the shape of a palm tree, consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding island in the form of crescent 5 km in diameter, connected to the top of the palm by a subsea tunnel, served by Palm Jumeirah Monorail, which 5.4 km long rail line connects the Gateway Towers at the base of the palm tree island with the Atlantis Hotel located in the middle of the crescent island.
The artificial island has been developed by Dubai’s government owned company Nakheel as the first ( and the smallest) of three islands that extend deep into the Persian Gulf. Two remaining islands are called Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deirah, when completed altogether will extend the Dubai shoreline by 520 km.
The self-declared ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ will feature over 30 themed boutique hotels, cafes and restaurants making Palm Jumeirah first class tourist resort.
The first hotel already opened is Hotel Atlantis with 17 restaurants, bars and lounges, Spa and Fitness Club, Aquaventure water park, Ambassador Lagoon open-air marine and Dolphin Bay.
At the end of 2009 most of the hotels are going to be opened , among them are : Radisson SAS Hotel Dubai, The Trump International Hotel & Tower, The Fairmont Palm Residence and Kempinski Emerald Palace.
Palm Jumeirah is also the place to invest in property, there are around 8000 residences available in villas or apartments : Signature Villas, Garden Homes and Canal Cove Town Homes.
Nakheel Sales Centre offers also the opportunity to own beachfront land to design and build the dream home.
Many celebrities already invested in Palm Jumeirah, among them villa-owners David Beckham and Michael Owen , and another soccer player Christian Panucci who owns a three bedroom apartment here.
[photo by Michael Foley Photography]