10 Amazing Artificial Islands of the World: The World Islands, Dubai, UAE

The World Islands, Dubai, UAE

Aerial view The World, a cluster of artificial islands to be constructed in the rough shape of a world map, off the coast of Dubai, UAE. (Photo credit should read Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Also in Dubai, located 2.5 miles off the coast, another mega-project involving artificial islands will be the location of luxury hotels and homes. Unveiled in 2003, The World is an artificial archipelago of 300 small islands, composed mainly of sand dredged from the shallow coastal waters, to be constructed in the shape of a world map. However, it seems all is not well with The World.  The project was delayed in 2008 due to the global financial crisis and as of February 2013, only two of the 300 planned islands("Greenland" and "Lebanon") have seen development, according to Gulf News. 

In February 2010, images taken from space and posted on NASA's Earth Observatory website suggest that the islands of The World are merging and sinking, according to the Daily Mail. The images highlighted fears that the islands would be ultimately eaten away by erosion, as they sat undeveloped, while environmentalists warned rising sea levels would eventually sink the million-dollar islands, reported ABC News.

The World (or World Islands) is a planned artificial archipelago of various small islands to be constructed in the rough shape of a world map, off the coast of Dubai, UAE. (NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

Aerial view The World, a cluster of artificial islands to be constructed in the rough shape of a world map, off the coast of Dubai, UAE. (Photo credit should read Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images)