Al Futaisi
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United Arab Emirates · Asia
About
Al Futaisi (Arabic: الفطيسي) is an island about 8-kilometre (5.0-mile) southwest of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates with a size of approximately 50-square-kilometre (12,000-acre). The largest part of the island, which is 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) long and 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) wide, is a wildlife sanctuary. There is a tourist ecotourism resort on the island. Animals such as Dugong, Osprey, lizards (Uromastyx) and Gazelles exist on the island.
In 2002, archaeologists discovered 22 ancient water catchments on the island. The catchements showed a survival technique used in the region previously to collect water. A total of 38 archaeological sites have been discovered on Futaisi Island.
Futaisi is not connected to the mainland by a bridge and is primarily accessed via its boat dock. The island also contains the remains of Futaysi Airport, a planned private airfield that was never completed and consists only of an abandoned sand runway.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.