The World Islands (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
: جزر العالم; ''Juzur al-Ālam'') are an
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
of small
artificial island
An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those th ...
s constructed in the shape of a
world map
A world map is a map of most or all of the surface of Earth. World maps, because of their scale, must deal with the problem of projection. Maps rendered in two dimensions by necessity distort the display of the three-dimensional surface of th ...
, located in the waters of the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
, off the coast of
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
.
The World Islands are composed mainly of sand
dredged
Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...
from Dubai's shallow coastal waters, and are one of several
artificial island
An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those th ...
developments in Dubai.
The World's developer is
Nakheel Properties
Nakheel Properties ( ar, نَـخٍـيْـل, nakhīl, palm tree) is a property developer based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The formal name of the company is Nakheel PJSC (private joint stock company) and it was a subsidiary of Dubai World ...
, and the project was originally conceived by
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai ...
, the ruler of Dubai. The construction was done by two
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
(joint venture) specialist companies,
Van Oord
Royal Van Oord is a Dutch maritime contracting company that specializes in dredging, land reclamation and constructing man made islands. Royal Van Oord has undertaken many projects throughout the world, including land reclamation, dredging and beac ...
and
Boskalis
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a Dutch dredging and heavylift company that provides services relating to the construction and maintenance of maritime infrastructure internationally. The company has one of the world's largest dredging fleets, ...
. The same companies also created the
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is an archipelago of artificial islands on the Persian Gulf in Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of a larger series of developments called the Palm Islands, including Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, which, ...
.
Construction of the 300 islands began in 2003, before being halted due to the
financial crisis of 2007–2008
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...
.
Though 60% of the islands were sold to private contractors in 2008, development on most of the islands has not started. As of July 2012, Lebanon Island was developed and was the only island that had so far been developed commercially, being used for private corporate events and public parties. As of late 2013, only two of the islands had been developed. In January 2014, Kleindienst Group announced the launch of "The Heart of Europe" project; by February 2014, JK Properties, one of Kleindienst Group's brands, announced that the project was "well underway". The first of these series of islands will be Europe, Sweden and Germany with development led by Kleindienst Group.
Project
Islands in the project range from in area.
Distances between islands average ; they are constructed from of sand and 386 million tons of rock.
Designed by
Creative Kingdom Dubai, the development is an area that covers and is surrounded by an oval-shaped
breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island
Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
island. Roughly of shoreline was created. The World's overall development costs were estimated at $13 billion
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
in 2005.
The archipelago consists of seven sets of islands, representing the continents of Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America,
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
, and
Oceania
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
.
Each artificial island is named for its representative
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
,
landmark, or
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
such as the
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...
,
Australia,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
,
Upernavik
Upernavik (Kalaallisut: "Springtime Place") is a small town in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,092 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the twelfth-largest town in Greenland. It c ...
,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
New York,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
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 July 2012, a second island, the Lebanon Island (1.5
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...
s or 15,045.01
m2 and 482.21 metres of
perimeter
A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference.
Calculating the perimeter has several pr ...
) was developed and was 'the only island that has so far been developed commercially, is used for private corporate events and public parties.'
Project difficulties
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
Online reported in September 2009 that work on The World had been suspended due to the effects of the
global financial crisis
Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003
* ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007
* ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989
* ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015
* Bruno ...
.
Nakheel denied 2010 reports that the islands were sinking into the sea as wholly inaccurate.
Despite the denial,
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
reported in January 2011 that an independent company, Penguin Marine, provided verification on the erosion of the islands and the silting of the passageways between the islands.
Due to finance and technical problems, Penguin Marine, the company contracted to provide transportation to the archipelago, is attempting to get out of the annual fees of $1.6 million paid to Nakheel properties.
[
Until early 2012, only one of the islands had been occupied by a building (a show home) on it,][ and commercial or residential properties were not currently being constructed on any of the other islands. Property prices in the Emirates had fallen 58% from their peak in the fourth quarter of 2008. The world economic recovery from the ]Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
has resulted in a rebound for the Dubai real estate market: it has been reported that "residential prices n Dubairose by 17.9% from August 2012 to 2013, while rents soared by 14.9% in the same period."
Purchase and development plans
The World was supposed to be serviced by four major transportation hubs linked by waterways. Land parcels are supposedly zoned for various uses: estate, mid density, high density, resorts and commercial. A Dubai Infinity Holdings construction planner has stated that developers have been negotiating with Nakheel about temporary siting of a cement batching plant on one of the islands to supply subdivided construction.
The plan was for utilities to be routed under water, with water plants at each of the hubs pumping fresh water to the islands. Power was to be supplied by the Dubai Grid and distributed through underwater cables, however as of February 2015 no cables had been laid, so that developers currently have to provide their own power from diesel generators. Wastewater and refuse systems are an individual concern for each island.
Nakheel Group is itself further developing a resort named Coral Island over 20 islands that make up the North American part of The World. The low-rise development will include a marina and hotel village.
The second largest confirmed development is the purchase of 14 islands that make up Australia and New Zealand by Investment Dar of Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
. The islands are being terraformed
Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make ...
to be developed as a resort named OQYANA.
Irish business consortium Larionovo had plans to develop the Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
island into an Irish-themed resort. The plans include a large internal marina, apartments and villas, a gym, hotel, and an Irish-themed pub. In July 2007 it was announced that the Ireland Island would feature a recreation of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
's Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...
. However, on the 25th of November 2008, a provisional liquidator was appointed to Larionovo. As of October 2022, this has not happened. The islands of Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
and Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
on The World were acquired by Premier Real Estate Bureau in the Summer of 2008.
In April 2008, Salya Corporation announced that it had acquired the islands of Finland and Brunei in The World and planned to develop them into fashion-themed resorts. Salya spent about Dh800 million (US$218 million) to purchase the islands and plans to spend a further Dh2.4 billion (US$654 million) on development. Brunei Island will be turned into a Fashion TV
FashionTV is an international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting television channel. Founded in France in 1997, by its Polish-born president Michel Adam Lisowski, FashionTV is a widely distributed satellite channels in the world with 31 satelli ...
resort and Finland Island will be turned into a fashion community called FTV palace.
Safi Qurashi, the seven-time multi-millionaire entrepreneur at the head of Premier, and his business partner Mustafa Nagri, paid an estimated US$64 million for the piece of land; he was later convicted for non-payment of cheques and sentenced to seven years in jail.
However, on appeal he was later found not guilty and released from prison in July 2012 when he was declared innocent of two of the three charges. On the final charges the civil court final judgment showed he owed no money, was a victim of fraud and vindicated him completely by awarding US$10.8 Million to be paid back to him by his former partner who had defrauded him. Safi Qurashi is still the owner of Great Britain Island and continues to live and run his businesses in Dubai and is still confident of developing the Island of Great Britain into a unique destination. This also has not happened as of October 2022.
Josef Kleindienst and his firm JK Properties are developing The Heart of Europe, a collection of seven islands (Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Ukraine, Main Europe, Switzerland and Monaco) in the European section of the World, into an island luxury resort. The resort is meant to create a fully immersive European experience, with outdoor snow, and stores accepting only the Euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
as a currency. It is set to open in 2020.
In June 2020, a street called Raining Street was being built as part of the Heart of Europe project, with plans to create artificial rainfall once the outdoor temperature exceeds 27 degrees Celsius.
Timeline of construction
*May 2003: The World development was announced by Nakheel, total completion scheduled for 2008. It was initially to have 200 islands and an area of .
*February 2004: It was announced that The World would comprise 260 islands, and its area would be 6 km by 9 km, with an area of for each island, with of water between each island.
*August 2004: It was announced that land reclamation would cost at AED 7.3 billion ($2 billion).
*April 2005: Sand dredging 55 percent complete, 88 islands had been completed.
*30 March 2006: Richard Branson appeared at a media conference on the Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
island. However, this was to announce direct London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
-to-Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
flights by Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and ...
, and was not related to his investing in the project.
*October 2006: Seven-time Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
World Champion Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...
was presented with one of the islands by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on the occasion of his final Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
, in Brazil. Schumacher's manager Willi Weber
Wilhelm "Willi" Friedrich Weber (born 11 March 1942 in Regensburg, Germany) is the former manager of German racing drivers including seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher (until 2012), his brother Ralf Schumacher (until November 2 ...
, suggested, "Perhaps he'll build a kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...
track on he island
*December 2006: The World reclamation 90 percent complete.
*October 2007: Nakheel announced the sale of Ireland, and Shanghai in October 2007.
*15 November 2007: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
were reported to have purchased the island ''Ethiopia''. The claim has since been refuted.
*January 2008: The World breakwater is completed.
*19 February 2008: Cinnovation Group acquired a island as part of a project valued at $200 million USD. Guest and residential villas and a hospitality complex are planned.
*25 February 2008: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre announced that it will establish a pearling and marine entertainment center in association with Paspaley Pearling Corporation. It will be located on an island in the Antarctic region of The World.
*September 2008: Dubai's Limitless announced plans to develop a $161 million USD wellness resort on an island in "Siberia". Pearl Dubai paid US$27.2 million for a island nearby.
*28 December 2008: Turkey Island was bought by MNG Holding in June 2008 for US$19 million.
*28 December 2008: China's Zhongzhou International announced that it will be developing a hotel resort on Shanghai island.
*28 December 2008: Nakheel said 70 percent of The World had been sold.
*October 2009: An Emirates Business report on 13 October 2009 that 2 islands were sold in July and August 2009.
*December 2009: Dubai based Kleindienst Group said they would start construction of the Heart of Europe in early 2010, according to a press report of 17 December 2009. Islands include Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine, Sweden and Switzerland.
*January 2010: On 28 January 2010 Emirates Business reported that Major Trade had started development of their projects on an island in the Greenland area, a villa and hotel resort.
*23 February 2010: Dubai-based Kleindienst Group started work on the Germany island of The World, according to a press release on 24 February 2010.
*17 July 2012: The Royal Island Beach Club opened on Lebanon Island.
*6 May 2013: Nakheel announces that an out of court settlement has been reached between itself and developer Kleindienst Group, allowing construction on "The Heart of Europe" to resume.
*10 June 2013: Construction began on the island Taiwan.
*2 July 2013: Nakheel announces that settlements "with São Paulo Development Ltd for São Paulo Island and a GCC investor for the purchase of Nord Island", totaling "AED 185 million", along with the earlier out of court settlement with Kleindienst Group (valued at AED 622 million) have "put The World back on the map".
*10 December 2013: Nakheel announced plans to connect the islands with a road.
*January 2014: Kleindienst Group's JK Properties announces that "work has commenced on The Heart of Europe".
*January 2014: Website "The Heart of Europe" publishes monthly construction updates for the project.
*February 2014: JK Properties announces that the "Heart of Europe" islands construction is "well underway".
*7 December 2016: The Heart of Europe project makes major progress when the Dubai-based company JK Bauen, part of the Kleindienst Group, appointed Chinese-based companies Wuchang Ship Building Industry Group and Sino Great Wall International Engineering in a joint venture to develop facilities on the six islands.
See also
* List of developments of The World (archipelago)
* OQYANA
*Palm Islands
The Palm Islands are three artificial islands, Palm Jumeirah, Deira Island and Palm Jebel Ali, on the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Palm Islands were conceived around the same time as The World, another artificial island project i ...
* The Universe
*Dubai Waterfront
The Dubai Waterfront (now known as ''Waterfront'') was expected to become the largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world. The project is a conglomeration of canals and artificial archipelago; it would occupy the last rema ...
*Tourism in Dubai
Dubai is one of the world's leading tourism destinations and tourism in Dubai is a major source of revenue. The city hosted 14.9 million overnight visitors in 2016. In 2018, Dubai was the fourth most-visited city in the world based on the number ...
References
External links
Nakheel.com: The World
"The Heart of Europe" website
{{DEFAULTSORT:World
Artificial islands of Dubai
Archipelagoes of the United Arab Emirates
Nakheel Properties
Proposed buildings and structures in Dubai
World maps
Maps in art