Land reclamation
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Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices. One involves a change from an area's natural state, the other restoring an area to a more natural state.
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Creating new land
Land reclamation is the creation of new land where there was once water. Notable examples include the cities of Washington, DC (which is built on land that was once swamp) and Boston, MA in the USA and the polders of the Netherlands. The southern Chinese cities of Hong Kong and Macau and the city-state of Singapore are also famous for their efforts on land reclamation. Also ambitious and impressive are the Palm Islands and The World off Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Artificial islands are an example of land reclamation.
In some parts of the world, this practise is no longer allowed, as it runs afoul of environmental protection laws.
Creating agricultural or inhabitable land
Land reclamation is the creation of agricultural or inhabitable land, generally through irrigation.
Repairing damaged land
Land reclamation is also the process of cleaning up a site that has sustained environmental degradation, such as strip mining. This can be done to allow for some form of human use (such as a housing development) or to restore the area to its natural state as a wildlife habitat.