To expand the possibilities for beachfront development, Dubai undertook a massive engineering project to create hundreds of artificial islands along its Persian Gulf coastline. Built from sand dredged from the sea floor, and protected from erosion by rock breakwaters, the islands are shaped in recognizable forms such as palm trees. As the islands grew, so did the city.

These satellite images show the growth of Dubai -- one of the United Arab Emirates -- between 2000 and 2011. Taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (<a href="http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">ASTER</a>) on NASA's <a href="http://terra.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">Terra</a> satellite, the false-color images were made from visible and infrared light. Bare desert is tan, plant-covered land is red, water is black, and urban areas are silver.

In 2000, the area was nearly entirely undeveloped. By 2011, whole city blocks had sprung up. Offshore, the first palm-shaped island, Palm Jumeirah, reached completion.

Read more about this topic and download more imagery at <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/dubai.php?src=flickr" rel="nofollow">earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/dubai.ph...</a>

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