Even the smallest island took a decade to complete.
Construction on Palm Jumeirah , the first and smallest of the three projected Palm Islands, stretched years longer than anticipated, but today its "trunk" is a broad expanse of malls and luxury hotels. The 17 fronds are lined with McMansions—packed closer together than buyers were led to believe, likely due to rising costs on the project. A six-lane undersea tunnel connects the island to the beaches on the crescent, while the Middle East's first monorail runs the length of the island.