The Times reports that the World Islands, an artificial archipelago of several hundred private islands in the shape of a world map being constructed off the coast of Dubai, has been, like so many other Dubai construction projects, cancelled: “Mile after mile of breakwater built from boulders brought hundreds of miles by ship has been laid, but inside its man-made lagoon, work has completely stopped. The expected map of the world of 300 islands is instead a disjointed and desolate collection of sandy blots — a monumental folly just out of sight of Dubai’s shore.” Via Gadling.

Previously: The World Islands.