Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah is a man-made island developed by Nakheel. The project was launched in 2001, when dredging and land reclamation began, and the reclamation phase was completed by 2006. Contemporary reports put the material used at about 94 million cubic metres of sand and seven million tonnes of rock. According to Nakheel, the island extends five kilometres into the Arabian Gulf, covers 560 hectares and is home to about 25,000 people. The island has three parts: the trunk, with apartments, hotels and restaurants; a crown of 17 fronds; and the crescent, an 11 km breakwater lined with beachfront resorts and residences and reached by a tunnel. The first residents moved in around 2006–2007. Atlantis, The Palm, the first resort to open on the island, opened in November 2008. The Palm Monorail, which Nakheel describes as the Middle East's first monorail system, began operating in 2009. Its elevated route of about 5.5 km runs from Gateway Station at the entrance to the island to Atlantis Aquaventure.