List of artificial islands facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Imagine an island that wasn't made by nature, but by people! That's what an artificial island is. These amazing places are built by adding soil, sand, or rocks to the water, or by connecting smaller islands. People create them for many reasons, like building airports, new cities, or even fun theme parks. Let's explore some of the most interesting artificial islands around the world!

Amazing Artificial Islands

People around the world have built many artificial islands. Here are some of the most famous ones:

Big Artificial Islands
Name	Country	Size (km²)	What it's used for
René-Levasseur Island	Canada	2,020	This island was created when a huge crater was filled with water to make a reservoir.
Caofeidian	China	60	A large industrial and port area.
Dongjiang Island	China	33.5	Used for moving cargo and restoring wetlands.
Jurong Island	Singapore	32	Made by joining seven natural islands together.
Sanya Hongtangwan International Airport	China	23.99	A new international airport is being built here.
Dalian Jinzhouwan International Airport	China	21	Another international airport under construction.
Khazar Islands	Azerbaijan	20	A planned city that is still being built.
Subi Reef	Disputed	16	China is turning this reef into an island. Other countries also claim it.
Hong Kong International Airport	Hong Kong	12.48	Mostly built on land reclaimed from the sea.
Diyar Al Muharraq	Bahrain	12	A large development project.
Mischief Reef	Disputed	5.58	China is also turning this reef into an island.
Durrat Al Bahrain	Bahrain	5	A group of islands with homes and resorts.
Amwaj Islands	Bahrain	4.31	Home to many people and businesses.
Ocean Flower Island	China	3.81	A large tourism and entertainment complex.
Pulau Semakau	Singapore	3.5	Singapore's only offshore landfill.
Fiery Cross Reef	Disputed	2.74	Another reef China is turning into an island.
Peberholm	Denmark	1.3	Part of a bridge and tunnel connecting Denmark and Sweden.
King Fahd Passport Island	Bahrain Saudi Arabia	0.88	A shared island between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Reef Island	Bahrain	0.713	A luxury residential and commercial island.
Ontario Place East and West Island	Canada	0.6273	A theme park in Ontario.
Île Notre-Dame	Canada	0.25	Located in Montreal, it hosted Expo 67.
Sealand	United Kingdom (de jure) Sealand (de facto)	0.004	A small platform that claims to be its own country.

Islands by Country

Australia

Areas around the Gold Coast region have artificial land.
Heirisson Island in Perth was made bigger by joining smaller islands.
Queen Elizabeth II Island is a new artificial island.
Fisherman's Island was created by adding land to Bishop Island.

Bahrain

Northern City and Salman City are new planned cities on artificial islands.
Bahrain Lagoon is a future planned artificial island.

China

China has many artificial islands, especially for ports and airports:

Runways of Shanghai Pudong Airport are on artificial land.
Ports and urban areas around Xiamen, Shantou, and Ningbo-Zhoushan.
Amusement Park at Liuye Lake in Changde.
Rizhao Port and Qingdao Port are major port islands.
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport has a runway on an artificial island.
Many islands are being built for ports in places like Lianyungang Port and Rudong Yangkou Harbour.

Hong Kong

The new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is on an artificial island.
The Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal is on an artificial island.
The Hong Kong–Macau–Zhuhai Bridge Hong Kong Control Point is on a large artificial island.
Many Breakwaters for typhoon shelters are artificial islands.

Macau

Macau International Airport is built entirely on an artificial island.
The Zhuhai-Macau Port Artificial Island is shared with China.

Denmark

Flakfortet and Middelgrundsfortet are old fortresses in Copenhagen harbour.
Trekroner Fort is another historic fort in Copenhagen harbour.

Germany

Langlütjen I and Langlütjen II are small islands that were once forts.
Wilhelmstein is a small island fortress.

India

India has several historic and modern artificial islands:

Willingdon Island in Kochi, a major port.
Murud-Janjira and Padmadurg are historic sea forts.
Jag Mandir, Nehru Garden, Taj Lake Palace, Kesar Kyari, and Jal Mahal are beautiful islands in lakes, often with palaces or gardens.

Japan

Japan uses artificial islands for airports and city expansion:

Chubu Centrair International Airport and Kansai International Airport are built on huge artificial islands.
Dejima in Nagasaki is a historic fan-shaped artificial island.
Dream Island (Yume No Shima) and Odaiba are popular areas in Tokyo Bay.
Port Island and Rokkō Island are major port areas in Kobe.
Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line has artificial islands like Umihotaru for rest stops and ventilation.

Kuwait

Khiran Sea City is a large planned city with canals and islands.
Green Island (Kuwait) is a popular tourist spot.

Malaysia

Andaman Island and Malacca Island are new developments.
Marina island Pangkor is a resort island.
Forest City is a large project with four artificial islands.

Maldives

The Maldives, a nation of islands, also builds artificial ones:

Hulhumalé is a large island built to ease overcrowding and provide more land.
Thilafushi is an island used for waste management.
Velana International Airport is on an artificial island.

Netherlands

The Netherlands is famous for its land reclamation:

Flevoland is the largest artificial island in the world, created from reclaimed land.
IJburg is a new residential area in Amsterdam built on artificial islands.
Maasvlakte is a large port area built in the North Sea.

Qatar

Qatar has built luxurious artificial islands:

Lusail is a new city with several artificial islands.
The Pearl is a famous luxury residential and entertainment island.
Hamad International Airport is built on reclaimed land.

Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah Port and King Abdul Aziz Port are major port islands.
Manifah Field is an artificial island built for oil production.
King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries is a huge shipbuilding complex.

Singapore

Singapore, a small island nation, relies on artificial islands for growth:

Jurong Island (mentioned above) is a huge industrial island.
Pulau Semakau (mentioned above) is an offshore landfill.
Chinese Garden is a beautiful park on an island.
Pearl Island, Coral Island, Sandy Island, Paradise Island, and Treasure Island are residential islands.

South Korea

Banpo Seorae Island and Sebitseom are popular spots on the Han River in Seoul.
Songdo International Business District is a smart city built on reclaimed land.
Yeouido in Seoul was expanded with reclaimed land.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE is known for its ambitious artificial island projects:

Abu Dhabi

Yas Island is home to a Formula 1 race track, theme parks, and hotels.
Al Lulu Island is a recreational island.
Khalifah Port is a major port.

Dubai

Burj al-Arab is a famous luxury hotel on its own small artificial island.
The Palm Islands (The Palm, Jumeirah, The Palm, Jebel Ali, and The Palm, Deira) are iconic palm-shaped islands.
The World Islands are a group of islands shaped like a world map.
Bluewaters Island is home to the Ain Dubai Ferris wheel.
Jumeirah Bay Island and Pearl Jumeirah are luxury residential areas.

Sharjah

Flag Island has a huge flagpole and is a public space.
Al Majaz Island is a popular leisure destination.

United Kingdom

England

Whale Island, Hampshire is a naval base in Portsmouth harbour.
Several hundred crannógs (ancient artificial islands) are found in Scotland.

United States

Alabama

Gaillard Island was built using dredged material and is an important bird nesting site.

Alaska

Northstar Island was built for oil drilling in the Beaufort Sea.

California

Balboa Island is a popular residential area.
Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay was built for a world's fair.
THUMS Islands are four artificial islands used as oil platforms off Long Beach.

Florida

Florida has many artificial islands, especially around Miami:

Hibiscus Island, Palm Island, and Star Island are luxury residential islands.
Peanut Island is a popular park and recreation spot.
Venetian Islands connect Miami and Miami Beach.
Fisher Island is an exclusive island only reachable by ferry.
Watson Island and Dodge Island are used for ports and other facilities.

Illinois

Goose Island in Chicago is an industrial area.
Northerly Island in Chicago is a park and nature preserve.

New York

U Thant Island is a tiny artificial island in Manhattan.
Hoffman Island and Swinburne Island were built for quarantine stations.

Land Separated by Canals

Sometimes, land becomes an "island" when people dig a canal that cuts it off from the mainland.

Africa is separated from Eurasia by the Suez Canal.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, became an island when the Cape Cod Canal was built.
The Peloponnese, Greece, is now an island because of the Corinth Canal.
Sviyazhsk, Russia, became an island when a reservoir was created.

Islands from Former Hilltops

Some islands are actually hilltops that became islands when the area around them was flooded to create a lake or reservoir.

Barro Colorado Island in Panama was a hilltop before the Panama Canal Zone was flooded.
René-Levasseur Island in Quebec, Canada, was formed when two natural lakes were connected by a reservoir.