ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS AFLOAT

Dredgers pumped sand from the seafloor off the coast of Miami, Florida. Out of the warm, choppy waters of Biscayne Bay, the human-made island of Rivo Alto started to take shape. It was eventually joined by five more islands. They were all lined up and connected to downtown Miami by bridges. Since the late 1920s, the Venetian Islands have enticed tourists and celebrities with their tree-lined streets and tranquil atmosphere.

But artificial islands have been around for centuries. For example, sprinkled throughout the lochs of Scotland and Ireland are hundreds of bushy mounds called . These small, flat pieces of land were built thousands