Dubai Islands

 

The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the rough shape of a map of the landmasses of the Earth, located 4 kilometres off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The World islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters, and is one of several artificial island developments in Dubai. The World's developer is Nakheel Properties; the project was originally conceived by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

 

The Times Online reports in 2009 that work on The World had been suspended due to the effects of the global financial crisis.

The World Project

 

Islands in the archipelago range from 14,000 square metres (150,000 sq ft) to 42,000 square metres (450,000 sq ft) in area.

 

Distances between islands average 100 metres. The entire development covers an area 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval-shaped breakwater island. Roughly 232 kilometres (144 mi) of shoreline was created. The World's overall development costs were estimated at $14 billion USD in 2005. Individual islands have been sold for prices ranging between $15-$50 million dollars USD, with one island known to have been offered for sale at a price of $250 million USD.

 

The World History

 

The project was unveiled in May 2003 by Sheikh Mohammed and dredging began four months later in September 2003. By January 2008, 60% of the islands were sold, 20 of which were bought in the first four months of 2007. On 10 January 2008 the final stone on the breakwater was laid, completing development of the archipelago. As of November, 2009, commercial and residential properties are not currently being constructed on purchased islands.

 

The Times Online reports in 2009 that work on The World had been suspended due to the effects of the global financial crisis.

 

The Irish businessman John O'Dolan, who purchased "Ireland" and the "English" islands, committed suicide in February 2009, after his consortium fell into financial difficulty.