Sir Bani Yas Island is located in the Persian Gulf near the western coastline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Roughly 9.7 miles by 6 miles, the island is the surface expression of a salt dome – a pocket of salt minerals that balloons upward into overlying layers of sedimentary rocks. Sir Bani Yas Island was the personal retreat of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who was president of the UAE from 1971-2004. He established a nature reserve on the island for animals native to the Arabian Peninsula (including striped hyena, cheetah, oryx, ostrich, and gazelle) that is now open to the public.
Photograph: ISS/Nasa
The Guardian
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