(Image Source: Google Earth)

BY MEGAN NOE

You're watching multisource world video news analysis from Newsy. 

Talk about making a name for yourself.

A billionaire Arab sheikh has had his name carved into the sand of his private island -- so big, it’s visible from space.

These pictures from Google Earth satellites show the name workmen carved at the request of Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family. It’s located on the island Al Futaisi in the United Arab Emirates.

The Sun broke the story, explaining just how huge the graffiti is.

“The name is two miles across -- with letters a kilometre high. It is so huge that the ‘H’, the first ‘A’ and part of the ‘M’ have been made into waterways.”

So who has the funds to blow on such extravagance? The Atlantic Wire offers some hints.

“The 63-year-old Hamad, it turns out, seems to live by the motto ‘go big or go home.’...Hamad's Emirates National Auto Museum features a ‘custom-built globe-shaped motor home said to be one-millionth the size of the Earth itself’ and a pyramid housing his vast car collection.

And the man nicknamed “Rainbow Sheikh”for his many-colored cars has one more larger-than-life title-- he’s built the world’s largest truck.

A Forbes blogger offers an answer to the question on everyone’s minds: why?

“Why not? Think of it as economic stimulus. It took a lot of imported laborers from the likes of Pakistan and Bangladesh to dig those canals. And for all we know, this could be part of a grand tourism plan. The island... is said to be entirely owned by the Sheikh and contains resorts, a golf course and horse stables.”

But a Green Prophet blogger is less amused.

“Take away their desalination plants, and Abu Dhabi is one of the most water scarce countries on earth. Surely it should be this man’s responsibility to spend his money more wisely....Unfortunately, madness like this that gives good Sheikhs a bad name.”

But before you make any assumptions, The Daily Mail makes a final note-- Hamad’s involved in charitable giving as well.

“Alongside his lavish displays of wealth he has become a well-known philanthropist in medicine and supplied a complete kidney stone operating theatre to a public hospital in Morocco where he continues to fund its staff.”

It’s unknown how much the carving cost.

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Transcript by Newsy.