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Three man-made archipelagos near Dubai, United Arab Emirates, are featured in this image from the International Space Station (ISS), flying at 350 km (220 mi) above Earth. The municipality of Dubai is the largest city of the Persian Gulf emirate of the same name, and has built a global reputation for large-scale developments and architectural works. Among the most visible of these developments – particularly from the perspective of astronauts onboard the ISS – are three man-made archipelagos. The two Palm Islands – Palm Jumeirah to the left of center, and Palm Jebel Ali, just to the right of center, appear as stylized palm trees when viewed from above. The World Islands (near left edge) evoke a rough map of the world from an air- or space-borne perspective. Image courtesy of NASA.