Updated: October 22, 2024

The World Islands (Arabic: جزر العالم; Juzur al-Ālam) are an archipelago of small artificial islands constructed in the shape of a world map, located in the waters of the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[1] The World Islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai’s shallow coastal waters and are one of several artificial island developments in the emirate.[1] The World’s developer is Nakheel Properties, and the project was originally conceived by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. Construction was done by two Dutch joint-venture specialist companies, Van Oord and Boskalis. The same companies also created the Palm Jumeirah.