00:00Just look at these mysterious islands.
00:04Years of sea corrosion and nature made this magnificent pattern of a world map out of islands.
00:10Yeah, just kidding. Of course these are man-made.
00:13The World Islands is an archipelago in the United Arab Emirates,
00:17and only one of many other magnificent artificial islands created there.
00:22And although the idea of man-made islands sounds very modern, the process has a long history.
00:28Many thousands of years ago, prehistoric people used to pile hundreds of boulders on lakes or river bottoms to create small islands.
00:37They can still be found in northern Scotland.
00:39The process was challenging and must have taken a lot of time since some of the stones weighed up to 550 pounds a piece.
00:47That means the islands were significant and had some sacred purpose.
00:51But to this day, it's still a mystery.
00:54We do know the purpose of the Chinapaz, Aztec artificial islands for cultivating crops.
01:00Small, ridge-like islands were built on the wetlands and swamps with canals between them.
01:06It provided enough water to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers all year long.
01:11These floating gardens are still present and can be found in some regions of Mexico.
01:16What about more modern creations?
01:19Nowadays, islands are created for the need for extra space.
01:22Many Asian airports are built on artificial islands.
01:25The second, third, and fourth biggest man-made islands are taken by Osaka, Hong Kong, and Tokonami airports.
01:33However, not all islands are made with a purpose.
01:36Most of the New York Harbor Islands are man-made, but not all were actually planned.
01:41Belmont Island is just a pile of rocks, disposed of while constructing the underwater metro tunnel.
01:48The island measures only 100 by 200 feet.
01:51Although it's off-limits for people, in 2004, an artist unsuccessfully tried to proclaim the island as a sovereign nation.
02:00Other New York artificial islands include the Swinburne and Hoffman Islands, built to quarantine immigrants coming to the USA in the late 19th century.
02:10Nowadays, they have a more peaceful purpose as bird sanctuaries.
02:14Speaking of birds, there's a big S-shaped island in South Africa.
02:19And it's not an illusion.
02:20The island is covered in flamingos.
02:23Built in 2006, the island shape creates two bays for birds.
02:28The island also features four ponds and 1,000 artificial nests for the new residents.
02:34The sanctuary now hosts around 10,000 flamingos.
02:38Hey, you two!
02:39Wanna hang out on my front yard?
02:42The position of the largest man-made island is taken by the Netherlands island Flevoland.
02:48After the 1916 flood, they decided to reclaim the local bay and a dam was built, disconnecting the sea's inlet.
02:56By 1968, the land was reclaimed and became the youngest Netherlands province called Flevapolder.
03:03The island measures 370 square miles and supports more than 400,000 inhabitants.
03:09But, for some people, one island is just not enough, and whole archipelagos are created.
03:16Four enormous projects were completed in the United Arab Emirates.
03:20One of them is the aforementioned The World Archipelago.
03:23Let's have a closer look, shall we?
03:26Dubai, the capital city of one of the seven emirates, is known for its luxury.
03:31An opulent oasis in the middle of the desert houses the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, lavish shopping malls, and monumental fountains.
03:41In the early 2000s, the Emirates was experiencing a real estate boom.
03:46And eventually, the coastal land skyrocketed in value.
03:50Soon enough, all the coastlines were occupied.
03:53All of the best prices of land were taken, and there seemed to be no way out.
03:58You can't make new real estate, right?
04:00Well, nothing is impossible in Dubai.
04:03A real estate company announced a new project to create a few islands with more coastal lands to expand the shore.
04:11The original plan included three palm tree-shaped archipelagos, the Palm Jumeirah, Palm Deerah, and Palm Jebel Ali.
04:19And just the first project could double the coastline.
04:22Soon enough, the world project was added.
04:25The archipelago was supposed to look like, you guessed it, a map of planet Earth.
04:30After completion, the universe was supposed to be added.
04:33A group of islands representing the sun, moon, a galaxy, and the Milky Way.
04:38The islands were supposed to be covered in private housing, villas, hotels, water parks, shopping malls, and entertainment centers.
04:47The plans looked grandiose and mind-blowing, but many things went wrong when making it happen.
04:53First, Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali were constructed.
04:57Tons of sand were dug up from the Persian and Arab Gulf's floors.
05:01Then the sand was sprayed and compacted into the needed shape, surrounded by rocks for stability.
05:07The construction began in 2001, and in 2006, the first apartments were completed.
05:14Nowadays, Palm Jumeirah is one of the most recognized man-made islands.
05:19It consists of a trunk and 17 palm leaf shapes, surrounded by a crescent-shaped island.
05:25The project added 40 miles of desired beaches.
05:28It's currently home to the opulent resort Atlantis the Palm, numerous malls, hotels, parks, and villas.
05:35The island is connected to the mainland by a monorail and an underwater tunnel.
05:40And by 2016, more than 10,000 people lived there.
05:44Work on the second Palm Island started in 2002.
05:48It was supposed to be 50% larger than Palm Jumeirah.
05:51Just a year later, work on 300 small islands composing the world began as well.
05:57Unfortunately, the global financial crisis of 2008 didn't avoid Dubai.
06:03All of the construction projects were halted.
06:06Nobody was buying the new property.
06:08The absent interest in land purchases tanked the value of the plots.
06:13The developing company announced refunds to its investors.
06:16Sandbanks were abandoned half-done.
06:19The half-built Palm Jumeirah was rebranded into the Jumeirah Islands in 2013.
06:25It hosts the Night Suit, the largest night market in the world, and the Jumeirah Mall with over a thousand stores.
06:32Hopefully, the plan to develop the other islands will be completed.
06:35They will house more than a quarter of a million people.
06:38By the time the financial crisis hit the industry, most of the world archipelago's land reclamation was done.
06:45The majority of the islands were named after corresponding countries and were already sold.
06:50Some were sold to real estate tycoons.
06:53Some to private buyers.
06:55Virgin Group founder Richard Branson bought the Britain Island.
06:58Ethiopia Island was reported to be purchased by then-married Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
07:06Unfortunately, after purchase, no development followed.
07:10And most of the investors lost their interest and didn't see any future in the project anymore.
07:16Many investors were turned off by the island's size.
07:19Each island is a different size, some as tiny as six acres.
07:23Many are turned off by the lack of connection to the mainland, with only a boat or seaplane being an option, since some islands are two miles away.
07:32By 2013, two islands, Greenland and Lebanon, had been developed, giving some hope to the project.
07:40Alas, the world was struck by another problem.
07:43A report came out stating the islands were sinking back into the ocean.
07:47It's noted that water erosion was slowly washing away the sand.
07:52Right now, the only way to combat it is to manually replace the sand.
07:57This may not be a problem for private owners, but it might be a deal-breaker for a significant portion of residents.
08:03Besides that, the problem of water quality has been bothering the island's residents.
08:08The crescent shape around the Palm Islands was made to protect it from waves and erosion.
08:14In the end, it completely changed the natural tidal movement, making the water around the islands stagnant and stale.
08:22Remember smelling a small egg during an incredibly hot summer?
08:26Same effect here.
08:27It not only smells gross, but it can also be harmful to your health.
08:31Now, not to pile on, but we will.
08:34In addition, the usage of sand from seafloors is now destroying the natural coastlines.
08:40Besides other problems, these ecological concerns makes the project unmarketable and not fit for the current time.
08:48Modern companies are interested in projects developing in coexistence with nature and not disrupting and changing the organic ways.
08:56However, despite all of the controversies, the world is slowly coming back to life.
09:02An Austrian real estate company bought six islands composing Europe's map and developing a new luxury resort called the Heart of Europe.
09:11The project is set to open by the end of 2020.
09:14It has some mind-blowing attractions.
09:17The world's first artificial rainy street, the first floating houses, and the first underwater hotel.
09:24The resort is separated into different zones, each symbolizing a different European country or city.
09:31The heart of Europe is now the only significant development on the world islands.
09:36But hey, if you don't want to buy your own island, I've got a bridge I can sell you.
09:41Wait, where are you going?
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