The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map and located four kilometres off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The World is one of several artificial island developments in Dubai. Like the other artificial island projects such as the Palm Islands, The World was built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. Development was by Nakheel Properties and originally conceived by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.