The Palm Jumeirah is an archipelago of artificial islands on the Persian Gulf in Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of a larger series of developments called the Palm Islands, including Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, which, if completed, will together increase Dubai's shoreline by a total of . It has an estimated population of at least 10,000 as of 2017. The islands were created using land reclamation. The construction was done as a joint venture by two Dutch specialist companies, Van Oord and Boskalis. The same companies also created The World. The recently opened destinations The Pointe, Club Vista Mare and Nakheel Mall are the latest additions to Palm Jumeirah. Transportation The Palm Jumeirah Monorail, monorail connecting the Atlantis Hotel to the Gateway Towers at the foot of the island. The monorail connects The Palm Jumeirah Dubai to the mainland, with a planned further extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line began operating on 30 April 2009. It is the first monorail in the Middle East. Wildlife In the summer seasons, jellyfish frequent the beaches surrounding the Palm. In early 2020, due to the reduction of human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in wildlife, such as dolphins, around The Palm Jumeirah was observed. Construction Construction of The Palm Jumeirah Dubai island began in June 2001 and the developers announced handover of the first residential units in 2006. At this time, 75% of the properties were ready to hand over, with 500 families already residing on the island. By the end of 2009, 28 hotels were opened on the Crescent. The complexities of the construction were blamed, in part, for the extended delays to the completion of the project, the date of which was pushed back multiple times and was nearly two years late. In 2009, The New York Times reported that NASA's laser altimeter satellites had measured the Palm as sinking at the rate of per year. In response the developer, Nakheel Properties said they had received no reports of structural problems of a type that would be expected if there were any subsidence, and pointed out that the laser satellites had a measurement resolution of only . Housing density After launching the project, it was revealed that the developer increased the number of residential units on the island (with a concomitant reduction in the amount of physical space between