The creation of artificial islands is an interesting and profitable occupation for their owners. What is it for? To provide a new territory for your country and make it more attractive for tourists. In this article we will talk about the artificial islands of the world.
River decoration
A person can compete with nature, creating new objects where he needs to, giving them the necessary shape, inhabiting different species of animals, planting plants and using them at their discretion. The largest man-made island was recently built in Seoul. Its total area was 20,382 square meters. m. It is located on the Hangan River and is supported by beacons and chains connecting it to the shore. This artificial island consists of three parts that have a communication with each other. Each of them has its own purpose. On the first, an area of 10 845 square meters. m, there is a three-story conference room for 700 people. The second, also with an area of 10,845 square meters. m, equipped for concerts, exhibitions and conferences. Off the coast of the third, an area of 4164 square meters. m, water competitions are held. Building artificial islands is expensive. They spent $ 80 million to create this. The Hangan River is a tourist attraction whose popularity was raised in this way.
Off the coast of the UAE
Dubai also created artificial islands. Three "palm trees" and two archipelagos are located off its coast. The largest of them is an artificial island called the Palm Deira. It began to be built in 2004. Crowns the structure of the crescent, the same as in other similar man-made creations, only larger. This is a breakwater. Its length is 21 kilometers, and it is considered the largest in the world. The Deira palm is intended for human habitation. It can simultaneously be 1,000,000 people. The middle palm is called Jebel Ali. It began to be built in 2002. Its coastal line is gradually built up on stilts bungalows. The smallest island is Palm Jumeirah. It was built in the period from 2001 to 2006. Residential houses and hotels, shopping centers and parks, as well as restaurants are located on the island. Artificial islands are not all the wonders of these places. Between them are archipelagos built by the hand of man - the World and the Universe. One of them resembles the appearance of the continents of the globe. This is the Mir archipelago, the largest of man-made ones. The islands are open for purchase, but their price will not scare away only the richest people on our planet. Buyers build luxury villas there. There are 300 islands in the archipelago, all of them have names. Russians - Rostov, Catherine, Siberia - have already been bought by our compatriots.
Let's increase the area
The Japanese have artificial islands. Thus, they save the space of their country. If there is not enough space, use additional, artificially created areas. Five of these islands have airports. One of them - in Kobe - began to be built back in 1971. However, the airport opened there only in 2006. The island turned out to be so large that it also fit several hotels, an IKEA store, parks, the Coffee Museum, a conference room and a helicopter station.
Suitable for relaxation
There are artificial islands in other parts of the world. There are 7 such facilities in Florida. Six of them are used for residential construction, and on the seventh, people relax and have picnics. These islands are connected to the mainland by bridges. To the east of Bahrain lie islands created by man. Elite real estate is located on them and a special land law applies. Amway Islands are surrounded by hydraulic pipes with sand to protect against water elements.Islands worth $ 15 billion were built on the coast of Qatar, 350 meters from Doha. Their length is 323 kilometers, presumably 45,000 inhabitants can be settled on them.
All the way around
One of the largest man-made islands is located in the Netherlands. It was built without pouring stones, soil and sand into the water, but rather, draining the soil. It began in 1920 when the construction of dams was started near the Zuidersee Bay. Thus, gradually by 1950 the province of Flevoland was formed. It consists of two sections of drained land, separated by dams. Three large artificial islands that people live on are located in California. These are Collins, Small Balboa Island and Balboa Island. Tourists often come here, so a street is created especially for them, where there are a lot of entertainment, cafes and the sale of souvenirs.
For birds
Artificial islands are built not only for people. For example, near the city of Kimberley in South Africa in 2006, an island in the shape of the letter S was built so that birds settled on it. The work was carried out under the guidance of ornithologist M. Anderson. People independently equipped several thousand bird's nests. Flamingos, for which this reserve was intended, began to multiply actively and flooded the entire island. There are very few similar nesting colonies of these birds in the world.
It happened
To raise artificial islands above the surface of the water, you need to pour a lot of soil into the water. Surely after the construction of tunnels under the East River it was mined a lot. Therefore, an island was formed, which was named Belmont in honor of the man who invested in the construction of the tunnel in 1907. But it has an unofficial name - Wu Tan. So he was named by a religious group in honor of the former UN Secretary General. They also erected a metal arch with a drawer in which Tan’s personal belongings are located.
Your own master
Some people build their own artificial islands. And they use not quite ordinary materials for this. So did the British Richie Owl. He built his island from several thousand plastic bottles that were wrapped in fishing nets and mounted on wooden pallets. He covered all 18 meters with sand, planted with plants, and even set up a pool in which ducks live. Such an island does not swim far from the coast. If you need to get to the mainland, which is only 20-30 meters away, the Briton swims up on his island, like on a raft.
If there is little space
An island was built near Alaska for pumping oil. The construction was carried out by British Petroleum. They had to do this, since the site previously used for such purposes was inconvenient, small and did not protect against dangerous accumulation of ice. Man harms nature as best he can. The problem with where to store the waste is increasing every year. So many have accumulated in the Tilafulu lagoon near the Maldives that an entire island has formed. Although many wastes were far from safe and even toxic, some industrial enterprises operate on this island.
How about us?
In Russia, there are also artificial islands. Moreover, some of them were poured several centuries ago. For example, about. Turtle in the Sea of Azov, located 2 kilometers from the Taganrog harbor. It was created as a sea fortress on the orders of Peter I. This island had an oval shape, and got its name from a large number of shells, in the language of that time - turtles. The fortress was destroyed, but on the island in 1746 there was a watch. Since the end of the XIX century, a lighthouse has been working on it. In the XX century, military tools, oak piles, cores, nails and other objects of the Petrine era were discovered on it. In Russia, it is also planned to create an Federation archipelago in the Black Sea, near Sochi. Its total area will be 250 hectares.
