Palm Islands as Eighth Wonder of the World - Essay Example

The Place I don’t know In my life, I have visited many interesting places and have read or watched videos about many more of such places. Examples of places I have read about and developed much interest in are the Palm Islands, Atlantis. He three islands are Palm Jumeirah, Palm Deira and the Palm Jebel Ali. These are man-made archipelago created in Dubai on which residential and commercial infrastructures have been/will be constructed. These islands are being constructed by Dutch and Belgian dredging and marine contractors Van Oord and Jan De Nul under the contract of a property developer in the United Arab Emirates called Nakheel Properties. Of the three islands palm Jumeirah, the self-proclaimed ‘Eighth Wonder of the World' is the one I am really interested in. Jumeirah Palm Island Jumeirah Palm Island is located in the coastal area located in Dubai, specifically, on the Jumeirah coastal area. The main residents of the area comprise of Unites Arab Emirates (UAE) people and the South Asians. Though it is the smallest, Jumeirah Palm Island is the original among the three palm islands. What makes the place lovable and a place to miss are its shape and surrounding marine environment. Like the other two palm islands, Jumeirah Palm Island is shaped like a palm tree with a crescent top, giving it a complicated structure. In actual description, the island consists of a trunk and a crown with 16 fronts. Breakwater is provided by a 11-kilometre crescent island which sorounds the trunk and the crown. The crescent is build of natural rock meant to provide habitats for marine life and encourage the development of a natural reef. The island is 5 Km by 5 Km with a total area greater than that of 800 football pitches combined. There is a 300-metre (980 ft) bridge that connects the crown to the mainland while connection between the crescent and the top of the palm has been achieved thorough the construction of a subsea tunnel. The length of Dubai coastline doubled due to the construction of this island. In conjunction to with Palm Deira and Palm Jebel Ali, Jumeirah has extended into the Persian Gulf hence increasing the shoreline of Dubai by a total distance of 520 kilometres (Al Darmaki Ibrahim 124). Jumeirah is of great social, cultural and economic significance. The island is meant to feature themed hotels, apartment buildings, marinas, beaches, restaurants, various retail outlets and three types of villas namely Canal Cove Town Homes, Signature Villas and Garden Homes. Some of the hotels are already operational and others are yet to be opened. By early October 2007, the island was already the world's largest artificial island, with 75% of its properties ready for hand over and 500 families already living in it. By the end of 2009, a total of 28 hotels had been opened on the Crescent (CIA 125). Since its construction, the place has been growing to be a very active tourism attraction site and a busy commercial centre. The construction of the Palm Jumeirah, Palm Deira and the Palm Jebel Ali are actually part of the government’s plan to attract tourists and foreign money into its tax-free economy. This means that the residents and government of Dubai and UAE in general are already seeing some benefits of the island. According to Chris O'Donnell, Nakheel’s chief executive Jumeirah has already created a national asset with a value of as much as $23 billion (CIA 135). The complexities associated with the place are financial wise. The total cost for constructing the island was US$12.3 billion and maintaining it is a costly expenditure as well. However, the economic gains from the place are enough to maintain it, as indicated by the aforementioned financial worth of the island. The fact that the island is located offshore means that no one was displaced during its construction. However, there arose conflicts in regard to the construction of the island and the survival of marine life. The initial negative impacts as a result of dredging and depositing of sand included the death, burial and asphyxiation of marine wildlife (Salahuddin 75). According to Salahuddin (76), the project also resulted to an increase in the amount of fine sediments suspended in the waters along the coast of Dubai. This led to suffocation and general endangering of marine life along the shore. The suspended sand also impeded maximum light the penetration into water that is required by photosynthetic organisms leading to less food production and a general starvation. The construction of the island has already caused erosion in some parts of some UAE cost though reduced erosion has also been reported in some places. The island is therefore a potential cause of shore line evolution along the UAE coastline. Marine pollution cannot be ignored due to the presence of real estate and commercial structures. However, Nikheel defends this point by declaring its commitment to practices which are sustainable and environmentally-friendly. The island also presents some socio-cultural implications to Dubai. First, the place is already multi-cultural due to home owners of varied nationalities. 4,000 homes and condos sold on Jumeriah were bought by citizens of the UAE and other countries in the Persian Gulf. 25% of the buyers comprised of Britons while the remaining 75% comprised of people from varied nationalities including several Americans (Al Darmaki 236). This means that the region will not have a homogenous culture or social life. Such a mixture will lead to the emergence of a new way of life. This is also worsened by the fact that the region is a tourist destination hence varied cultures and social way of life will be experienced in the place. The effect will be great given the small area coverage of the island which encourages close interaction. Conclusion Jumeirah palm island really deserves to be called the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World' due to its attention catching design as well as its fascinating marine surrounding. Though small, the area has a good potential of growing to a rich, self-sustaining tourist destination, commercial centre and residential area. Despite its beauty and potentialities, a research needs to be done regarding pollution from industrial and residential emissions and the effects of tourism on its environment and gulf as a whole. For those planning to spend their holiday making tours any soon, Palm Jumeirah is the place to be. Works cited Al Darmaki Ibrahim (2008) Globalisation and urban development: a case study of Dubai’s Jumeirah Palm Island mega project. Online. http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/67552/. Viewed on 24th May,2011. CIA (2009) "Middle East: United Arab Emirates." CIA World Factbook. Online. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ae.html#>. Viewed on 24th May, 2011. Salahuddin Bayyinah (2006). The Marine Environmental Impacts of Artificial Island Construction, Dubai, UAE. Online http://www.docstoc.com/docs/41616281/The-Marine-Environmental-Impacts-of-Artificial-Island-Construction. Viewed on 24th May, 2011. Appendix Palm Jumeirah Read More