Dubai buildings

Dubai buildings

Dubai has been grabbing headlines lately -- for more reasons than one. First on everyone's minds is the current controversy over Dubai Ports World's acquisition of Britain's Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., making the Middle Eastern company the possible operator of shipping terminals at major U.S. ports.

Another reason this United Arab Emirate is gaining widespread global attention: Dubai is experiencing a construction boom, with new buildings going up at a pace that rivals China's development -- albeit on the scale of an emirate roughly the size of Yosemite National Park, and with a population of only 1.4 million.

Dubai's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has set a national goal of attracting 15 million tourists in 2010. Interestingly, that's the same year that Dubai's known oil reserves will most likely be tapped out, according to The Economist. Here's a look at 10 wonders of the quickly changing cityscape. Many promise to be the world's largest, tallest, or first-of-their-kind projects.