Moonrise over The World

The moon shines down on The World and Dubai's skyline....

The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands in the shape of a world map currently being built 4 km (2.5 miles) off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The World is one of a series of artificial island projects in Dubai, along with the Palm Islands, and like the other islands The World is being built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. The only access to the islands is by boat, helicopter, or seaplane. The World is being constructed by Nakheel Properties and is the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Each island ranges from about 14,000 square metres (150,000 square feet) to 42,000 square metres (450,000 square feet). The distance between each island will be an average of 100 metres (328 feet). The entire development will cover an area of 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater. 232 km (144 miles) of shoreline will be created upon completion.

According to the National Geographic Channel (The Best of Megastructures) the overall price for the World is 14 billion USD. As for the individual islands, prices range between 15 and 45 million USD.

Dredging for the project began in 2004. By May 2007, 45% of the islands had been sold, 20 of which were bought in the first four months of 2007. As of early October 2007, land reclamation was "nearly complete" and was expected to be finished in 2008. Once that occurs, owners will be able to construct their own developments and properties.