The pitch was extravagent: a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed to approximate the land masses of Earth, located 4 kilometers off the coast of Dubai. Claim part of The World for your own, or as an investment. Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt bought Ethiopia, Tommy Lee bought Greece for ex-wife Pamela Anderson, David Beckham and Rod Stewart were each rumored to have bought an island, joining other celebrities who had purchased part of The World. The environmental impact of World-creation was raised, and Sir Richard Branson warned that the islands would be submerged in 50 years if global governments did not address climate change. The warning in 2007 did not dissuade the developers, and the final rock was placed in the breakwater in January 2008. The end of The World has not been brought about by rising tides, but financial woes have put the development on long-term hold, potentially ending the project. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Oct 2, 2009 - 47 comments

Better than Radiohead.
posted by flapjax at midnite on Aug 16, 2009 - 114 comments

Your goats? Do you dance with them?
posted by vronsky on Nov 10, 2008 - 34 comments

Surtsey was first observed on November 14, 1963, as a pillar of smoke on the water some ways south of Iceland. The very next day lava and tephra broke the surface of the Atlantic and by May, 1964 the formation had grown to 2.4 km². Over the next three years lava eruptions continued, coating the loose debris in a hard shell and protecting it from erosion. An island born. Naturally, Surtsey has been under close scientific observation since its emergence, and courtesy The Surtsey Research Society you can read published reports on the geology and biological colonization of this new earth.
posted by carsonb on Jul 17, 2008 - 9 comments

New Kiribati "...will future climate change refugees become a new caste of service sector workers inhabiting a sort of Floating Hotel & Duty Free Mall ... ?" Small island states are on the front line.
posted by nthdegx on Jun 19, 2008 - 3 comments

274 Atolls. [more inside]
posted by bigmusic on Apr 6, 2008 - 20 comments

Andy Strangeway decided to spend a night on each of the 162 Scottish islands. This is his story.
posted by triv on Nov 19, 2007 - 22 comments

Largest lake on an island, in a lake, on an island, in a...
posted by petsounds on Jun 11, 2007 - 71 comments

Chaffee, White, Grissom & Freeman are the names of four artificial islands immediately off the Southern California port of Long Beach. From the shore, they each look like an inhabited island paradise, complete with waterfalls, interesting buildings, many palm trees and crazy nighttime party lighting. In fact, they are offshore oil wells, built on 10 acre Dubai-esque man-made islands created for the purpose of housing the oil wells, and disguised so as to comply with local aesthetic standards.
posted by jonson on Apr 11, 2007 - 25 comments

Vatu Vara Thinking of using that spare $75mil. to purchase that apartment on top of the Pierre hotel? Wouldn't you really be happier here...
posted by vronsky on Sep 29, 2006 - 27 comments

Attention lovers of privacy & salt air! This island, the house on top of it, and the bridge connecting it to the mainland are all on sale for a mere 750,000 pounds.
posted by jonson on Sep 9, 2006 - 44 comments

Ghost Islands. Hashima: The Ghost Island. San Borondon: The Ghost Island. Ballale: The Ghost Island. Kandolhudhoo: The Ghost Island. Pulau Hantu: The Ghost Island.
posted by Falconetti on Sep 3, 2006 - 7 comments

The Kingdom of Redonda. In 1865, a Caribbean trader laid claim to a small island near Antigua, and declared himself king. His son, M.P. Shiel, was an author of fantasy fiction. When Shiel died in 1947, he left the island to a young poet, John Gawsworth, King Juan I of Redonda.
posted by steef on Mar 24, 2006 - 7 comments

Tristan da Cunha has just been assigned its first postcode by the Royal Mail. This makes it easier for the inhabitants of these remote chunks of rock to receive mail. Easier, but still not easy - to get there, packages must first make their way to Cape Town and then travel 2,800 miles by fishing boat.
posted by kcds on Aug 7, 2005 - 17 comments

Who wants to own the United Kingdom? Slightly used, with annex. Rains a bit. Trains often late. Nice gardens. Food dubious, but lots of places to drink. Only 8.8 trillion dollars. I'm sure other countries could be bought for cheaper, and the citizens would probably be more willing to sell. If you really want your own private island, these would be the best people to speak to.
posted by Jimbob on Dec 29, 2003 - 17 comments

Visit The Palm. For a day, for a lifetime.
posted by xmutex on May 13, 2003 - 14 comments

The tiny island nation of Nauru (pop 12,329) once had one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world. Recently, though, the "poor little rich kid of the Pacific" has dissolved into political chaos. In an address three weeks ago, just before the country's telecommunications network collapsed, President Bernard Dowiyogo said, “You are all aware and conscious of our critical situation.” Since then – silence. (via boingboing)
posted by gottabefunky on Feb 21, 2003 - 28 comments

The Kerguelen Islands, you say? This guy wanted to go there. This guy went. Him too. And this poor fellow just wants to be a part of it all. What's the attraction? Though not much may have happened there, there are some stunning views. But I think it's the cabbage.
posted by ursus_comiter on Jan 28, 2003 - 10 comments

Island... Get Your Island Here! This is the sale of the century - everything must go! (and if you believe that's possible, then i've got a bridge to sell you...)
posted by adamms222 on Dec 10, 2002 - 9 comments

Do you dream of living on a secluded island surrounded by all of the ice cream you could eat? Here is your chance! And have you ever heard of anyone actually winning one of these essay contests?
posted by Dinzie on Dec 13, 2001 - 13 comments

If you are concerned about global warming, you must watch this film
Some Mefi context
posted by rschram on May 3, 2001 - 6 comments

Barry Weaver from the University of Oklahoma has a neat Web site on the islands Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. These islands belong to Britain and are in the South Atlantic, a few thousand miles from Africa. Weaver's pages may not be the prettiest, but the content is interesting, especially the photo-tour of each island.
posted by tdecius on Nov 2, 1999 - 0 comments