The Bellagio is Vegas' original pleasure villa, at the edge of an artificial lake with more than 1, 000 dancing fountains.

BBC: Mini guide to Las Vegas

He lived in a palatial home outside the capital of Pyongyang, with a racetrack, pools and an artificial lake.

WSJ: A Dictator Steeped in Myth

Organizers say the expo will feature, among other attractions, 50, 000 square meters of exhibition space, three islands in an artificial lake and the world's largest flag.

CNN: Glancing Back

The prime minister has become the butt of jokes for commissioning an artificial lake, complete with mock canoes and recordings of the call of the loon, for the G20 summit's media centre which sits just yards from the real Lake Ontario.

ECONOMIST: Ostentation in a time of austerity

Brooks points out the crystallized gypsum disguised as marble columns, the Styrofoam used to fill gaps in the palace's building blocks, and the most fundamental flaw: The foundations of the palace, set in an artificial lake, were designed to withstand a 200, 000 square-foot structure.

WSJ: Turf Battle Forms Over Hussein's Palaces