Is it the end of the world? Nasa picture suggests Dubai globe is sinking back into the sea
By Claire Bates
Last updated at 12:01 PM on 02nd February 2010
This is how the world looks like according to ambitious engineers in Dubai, but it is starting to look rather ragged around the edges.
這是世界如何看，根據在杜拜雄心勃勃的工程師，但它的邊緣已經開始看來在參差不齊。
The stunning image of the man-made archipelago was taken by an astronaut far above our Earth on the International Space Station.
人造群島的令人吃驚圖像，是由一名宇航員在遠離地球上的國際太空站所拍的。
It shows the World Islands development (on the right), sitting in shallow waters just off Dubai's coast.
它顯示了世界群島的發展（右），剛坐在杜拜海岸對開的淺水中。
Ragged around the edges: The World Islands development off the coast of Dubai - as seen here from space - doesn't look like a true representation of a map of the globe
參差不齊的圍繞邊緣：杜拜海岸對開的世界群島發展 - 由太空看到如在這裡 - 看來不像世界地圖的一個真正代表
When the project was launched in 2003, it was hoped that celebrities and the super-rich would snap up the 300 islands, which made up a map of the globe. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were even said to be thinking about buying Ethiopia.
Nakheel Properties created the foundations within five years, from 11billion cubic feet of sand and 47 million tonnes of rock. However, now it looks like the project will never be completed.
Nakheel地產在五年內，從110億立方呎沙和47萬噸石造好地基；不過，現在看來，該項目將永遠不會完成。
According to Nasa's Earth Observatory website: 'Little to no infrastructure development of The World is apparent in this astronaut photograph.'
據NASA的地球天文台網頁：在這張宇航員照片，'世界表面上是少至沒有基礎設施發展。
Work inside the man-made lagoon stopped last year and the World Islands' website went ominously quiet. The last update is from 1 October 2008, announcing the completion of the foundations.
在人造湖內的工作去年停止，和世界群島的網站變得不祥的安靜。最後一次更新是在 08年10月1日，宣布完成地基。
Then in November 2009, Dubai World, which owns Nakheel Properties, asked for a delay to repay $26billion in debt.
然後在2009年11月，擁有 Nakheel地產的迪拜世界，要求延遲償還債務 $ 26billion。
The world is not enough: The various islands appear to be merging together after work on the Dubai development was halted last year
世界是不足夠的：多個島嶼似乎是在合併，在杜拜發展工程去年停工後 
The real deal: How Earth really looks from a satellite image
真交易：地球從衛星圖像真正是如何
While officially the project has just been delayed, the islands are rapidly merging together and also appear to be sinking.
雖然正式地項目已剛被推遲，這些島嶼正在迅速融合在一起，和看來在下沉中。
There is hardly better news for the Palm Jumeirah, seen on the left of the top picture. The centrepiece £800m Hotel Atlantis opened with much pomp in 2008.
The luxurious resort includes a giant aquarium and even has a £13,000 a night suite.
It prompted Joe Cita from Nakheel's to predict: 'Palm Jumeirah in and of itself will become one of Dubai's major tourist attractions.'
But a number of hotel developers, including Donald Trump, have since shelved their developments on the Palm due to the global recession.
Ambitious project: A graphic image shows how the islands were supposed to look野心計劃：一張圖顯示島嶼原應如何設計
Dubai's development has long been criticized by environmental activists, who say the construction of artificial islands hurts coral reefs and even shifts water currents. They point to growing water and power consumption.
杜拜的發展一直被環保活躍份子批評，他們說建造人工島傷害了珊瑚礁和甚至是水流變化，他們指向增長的水和電力消耗。
The image was captured on January 13, 2010, by a member of the ISS Expedition 22 crew. He used a £3,000 Nikon D2Xs digital camera with a focal length of 400 mm to take the photograph. It was then enhanced to improve contrast.
該圖像是在2010年1月13日，被國際空間站遠征 22隊員的一名成員所拍 ，他使用了值3000英鎊的Nikon D2Xs數碼相機，焦距400毫米去拍照片，它随後被增強以改進對比度。
Astronauts are asked to take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public.
This seems particularly appropriate considering the huge public interest in what could be Dubai's greatest folly.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1247651/World-Islands-Is-end-world-Nasa-picture-suggests-Dubai-globe-sinking-sea.html
「世界」末日？ 太空照揭杜拜世界島面臨陸沉
2010年02月03日
這是「世界」末日嗎？阿聯酋杜拜失樂園，去年債務危機爆破，地產泡沫破滅，世界島（ The World Island）人工島發展項目叫停，更災難性的是，現在太空人拍攝的照片顯示，世界島除了一片荒蕪，更有開始陸沉迹象。
世界島是棕櫚島（ Nakheel）物業發展集團最具野心的地產項目，要一口氣建造 300個人工島，組成世界地圖的模樣，一派天下我有的豪氣，吸引名人和超級富豪買島，打造世界最豪華的人間天堂。美國影星畢彼特（ Brad Pitt）和安琪蓮娜祖莉（ Angelina Jolie），據報也買了當中的「埃塞俄比亞島」。
世界島項目於 2003年動工，花五年時間、 3.1億立方米的沙和 4,700萬噸的石，建成各島地基。但 2008年 1月完成地基後，遇上金融海嘯和全球經濟衰退，世界島去年停了工，變成爛尾島， 11月母公司「杜拜世界」要求暫緩還債 260億美元（ 2,028億港元）。
禍不單行，未待全球經濟復蘇，美國太空總署要求國際太空站拍攝的地面照片，卻揭示世界島要陸沉了。照片前天（周一）在「地球瞭望台」發佈的杜拜俯瞰照片，在 1月 13日拍攝，網站形容照片中的世界島「基建發展少至沒有」，人工島形狀走了樣，不像構想圖輪廓分明地展示世界地圖。英國《每日郵報》形容各島似急速聚集成一塊，似乎開始沉沒。
世界島左邊的朱美拉棕櫚島（ Palm Jumeirah），情況好得多，超碼成形了。但經濟衰退同樣令棕櫚島的發展項目叫停，棕櫚島與世界島可算難兄難弟。
英國《每日郵報》
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/template/apple/art_main.php?iss_id=20100203&sec_id=15335&subsec_id=2756&art_id=13691331
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