Islands of 'The World' now available for purchase

For all those who have dreamed of investing in a private island of their own can now make that dream a reality with The World, a new offshore development by Nakheel comprised of 300 islands that resemble the actual shape of the world's continents. In an announcement made today by Mr. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel, all islands have just been made available for purchase.

"The World will be one of the most beautiful and exclusive destinations worldwide that captures the essence of the perfect getaway - a private island paradise where life slows down, sunsets are theatre and rain rarely falls. It follows in the footsteps of another extraordinary Nakheel project, The Palm, whereby The Palm put Dubai on the map and now The World is putting the map on Dubai," said Mr. Sulayem. "The World follows a very exclusive blueprint of the ultimate status symbol, forming an island sanctuary where the privileged few can stake claim to their own version of paradise, and I am delighted that today Nakheel is giving the most imaginative investment dreams the room to be realized with the unveiling of The World island prices," he added.

According to Nakheel, there has already been extraordinary demand across the globe for investment in The World. Since the official unveiling of The World on 21 September 2003 by HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, investors from the UAE, neighbouring GCC countries, Far East, Middle East and North and South America have been waiting anxiously for the launch of The World's prices so that they can be part of this exclusive, sought after development.

"The waiting is over for The World. We have witnessed such demand for the project over the past year and are certain that investors will jump at the chance to purchase their own island, whether it is for private or commercial use. This is a one-of-a-kind investment opportunity that will only be available for the most exclusive and serious buyers. Nakheel is also very much interested in discovering investor plans for the islands. Will one choose to build a private golf course, hotels or a mansion? What will be the realized dreams of our privileged investors?" commented Mr. Wahid Attalla, Executive Director, Commercial & Operations, Nakheel.

It is expected that many of the islands will be themed after the country they represent, although investors have the freedom to create their own personal vision for private or commercial use. In addition, Nakheel will integrate a series of waterways, canals and lakes to enhance the overall design. What's more, access to the islands will be entirely by marine transport or by air and will provide first-class marinas to all investors.

According to Mr. Saeed Ahmed Saeed, Managing Director, Projects, Nakheel, construction for The World is right on schedule. After less than six months, the island representing the UAE was the first to break the surface of the Arabian Gulf. This island in particular has been reclaimed to a depth of minus 14 metres below the water's surface, and is currently at its final elevation of three metres above the water. In addition to the UAE island, work is progressing rapidly on the islands of North America and Asia, which have also recently broken the sea's surface. This proves that The World is a reality and a work in progress.

"Nakheel has created a project of grand proportions that will cater to 300 specific individuals that have the capability, vision and unparalleled desire to purchase, construct and maintain these exclusive islands. We are looking for the most serious investors whose vision is a magnificent as the The World itself," stated Mr. Attalla.

Nakheel has also prepared an exclusive branding image for The World that goes hand-in-hand with the development's uniqueness and exclusivity. Investors will sense this exclusivity from the high-quality materials and multi-media presentation offered to them. Moreover, an electronic state-of-the-art sales system has been prepared and launched on The World website, which easily allows investors to understand the boundaries and details of the desired island, only just by clicking on it.

Investors will be able to see from this material that the design of the entire project incorporates two protective breakwaters on the outer perimeters to provide shelter from long and cross-shore waves. The outer breakwater will be a submerged reef and the inner breakwater will be above water. Extensive testing of the breakwaters design has taken place in one of the world's leading hydraulics laboratories in Delft, The Netherlands.

Shelter provided by the breakwaters for the islands is also expected to attract and provide shelter for a wealth of marine life.

The World is set to measure approximately 7km in length and 9 km in width and will cover over 593 million square feet, including more than 10 million square feet  of beach. In addition, all of the islands will range from 100,000 sq feet to 450,000 sqfeet in size, with more than 350 million cubic metres of rock and sand.

This two-stage reclamation and infrastructure development worth US $3 billion will be located four kilometres offshore from Dubai, at a point halfway between The Palm, Jumeirah and Port Rashid.

Total completion of the project is forecast for 2008.