Inside 300 Eerie Dubai Islands Which Are Mostly Empty and Built for the Super Rich
One of the megaprojects that Dubai is known for is the man-made islands called the World Islands. The cost to make them was in the millions of dollars, and some of them were sold to rich people from around the globe. Given the massive price tag on each island, it is also no wonder that some of them are as empty as they were when they were made.
Developing the Islands
Dubai made the islands using Persian Gulf sand placed on top of rocks, and their collective looks like a world map when viewed from the sky. The 300 islands dot an area that is five miles long and range in size from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet. When the project was conceived, the hopes were that rich people would quickly buy all of the islands, but that didn't happen.
In 2008, the United Arab Emirates was affected by the financial crisis, and many real estate projects were halted or scaled down. So back then, visitors could only visit one island. Over a decade later, a resort was opened on the islands corresponding to South America. Now, the World Islands are entering the next phase with The Heart of Europe project. It is meant to give each island luxury hotels, floating villas, and private mansions.