THE WORLD

Description

Essentials about The World in brief

With the two palm-shaped artificial islands Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai already has two of the most extraordinary land reclamation and urban development projects in the world. The two “Palm Islands”, however, are topped by another project that outshines everything else – The World. This is nothing less than a replica of the world in the form of an archipelago of 300 islands representing the continents and countries of the world.

The islands of The World

As the name suggests, this is no less than a small-scale replica of the world off the coast of Dubai. The 300 islands are arranged in the form of a world map and represent continents and countries of the earth, whereby several smaller countries were combined in each case. The small archipelago is like an atoll, surrounded and protected by several artificial oval breakwaters. The total area of The World is about nine times six kilometres.

The islands are between 23,000 and 87,000 square metres in size and can only be reached by boat or helicopter. Thus, one does not only have to bring the necessary small change for the land (between 10 and 40 million US dollars for an island), but also for a suitable means of transport.

The history of The World

Speaking of change: After the main fill-up work on the group of islands was completed between 2003 and 2006, construction was halted in the wake of the financial crisis in 2007/08 and the resulting payment difficulties among project developers and construction companies. By the end of 2010, around 200 of the 300 islands had reportedly been sold. However, it was not until 2012 that Lebanon became the first model island to be fully developed. The Royal Island Beach Club located on it has since welcomed day guests for public and private events. In 2013, development of a second island was completed, and construction resumed on six European countries in 2014.

The problems and the future of The World

The main problem of The World is the increasing silting and subsidence of the islands. Already in 2011, the first consequences of the construction standstill became apparent. The smaller culverts between the islands began to silt up, and the necessary free dredging was discontinued. In addition, the islands are being affected by rising sea levels, storms and breakwaters that are too permeable. Whether the gigantic project The World as a whole will ever be completed is not yet foreseeable at present.

Since 2021, however, there have been the first signs of life that the settlement of The World could work out after all. With the Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort on the island “South America” the first large hotel complex on the group of islands opened. The resort has 70 luxurious rooms, suites and villas. In addition to luxurious accommodations, the resort also offers its guests culinary delights and a wide range of sports. Jet skis and a state-of-the-art gym are available for water sports and fitness enthusiasts.

In the meantime, construction work has also started on another sub-project of The World. “The Heart of Europe” is to be an ensemble of palaces with private beaches, hundreds of smaller villas and apartments, hotels and so-called floating “seahorse villas” on a cluster of six islands. As the first part of the project, the Cote d’Azur Monaco Hotel has opened its doors to guests since early 2023. The Heart of Europe is scheduled to be fully built by 2026.