Instead of concrete slabs, The Palm's foundations were built with 7 million tons of granite blasted from the adjacent Hajar Mountains. While the desert emirate is surrounded by sand, the island was formed from 120 million cubic meters of sand scraped from the seabed. The rocks used for the foundation came from several sites hundreds of miles away.
The island is an artificial creation, built by the Department of Defense's Joint Forces Command at the request of the government of Dubai. It is used as a military training ground and is accessible only by boat or helicopter.
In February 2005, news reports stated that construction on The Palm Island had been stopped because of financial problems related to the property bubble in Dubai. However, the project was still under development at the time.
Later that year, reports emerged that Dubai's rulers had approved a plan to build a new city on another island in the Gulf. This new city would be called "Dubai Silicon Oasis" and be built with technology products imported from around the world. The first phase of this new city is expected to be completed in about seven years.
However, these plans are now on hold after Dubai announced that it could not afford to fund such a large project itself.
1. It is constructed of millions of tons of rock and sand. This makes Dubai a sea-levelled city.
2. Water plays an important role in the construction of Dubai, as well as its future survival. Dubai has one of the world's largest desalination plants that provides nearly two thirds of the city's drinking water. The plant uses electricity to transform saltwater into fresh water for drinking and industry.
3. The lack of a natural underground water source means that Dubai will always need to find new ways to obtain enough water for its residents. The city has already used up most of its available groundwater and this source is expected to be depleted by 2025. So far, the government has approved more than $7 billion in water infrastructure projects. These efforts are intended to provide the city with better supplies and management systems.
4. Dubai is also part of a large system of coral reefs. These ecosystems provide shelter for fish and other marine life that make their way through the ocean to reach Dubai's beaches. However, much of this life depends on healthy coral reefs so scientists are working to preserve these habitats before it is too late.
It was built by dredging 3,389 cubic feet of sand from the Persian Gulf and spraying it into position, extending approximately 50 kilometers to Dubai's shoreline. GPS satellites were employed to guarantee that the sand was sprayed precisely where the palm tree design was desired. The project took about five years to complete.
The Palm is a man-made island created for the purpose of building a new city. It is located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the border with Saudi Arabia. The main area of construction was based on an artificial reef created by dredging sand from the sea and spraying it into position.
The first spray of sand was done in 2002. The last spray was followed by the planting of coconut palms, which will eventually cover the site. The total size of the Palm is about 26 square miles or 690 hectares.
The idea for creating the Palm originated with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then prime minister of the UAE. He wanted to create a coastal community with government offices, shops, and homes. This would be an alternative place to live if you didn't like living in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The project was started before many other countries had access to credit cards so Sheikh Mohammed hired Italian architect Giuseppe Sommaruga to come up with a plan for his dream town.