It may be the end of "The World" for Dubai, as development on the ultra-luxury World Islands project has stalled due to the ongoing financial crisis, reports the Telegraph.
An ambitious project, The World is made up of a series of private islands shaped like countries from around the globe. Although the developers of the man-made archipelago claim that over 70 percent of the islands have been sold, only the one representing Greenland is currently inhabited.
With the project on hold, the islands themselves have started to erode, and the waterways between them are filling with silt.
Those who purchased islands from the project seem reluctant to start development while Dubai property prices are crashing.
Other owners have been suffering from their own problems: the man who bought Ireland for $38 million has since committed suicide, and Safi Qurashi, who bought Britain for over $68 million, is currently serving a seven year prison sentence for writing bad cheques.