Adventure on a desert, er, I mean, artificial island?

Completely ignoring all warnings about the possibility of rising sea levels, a number of industrial countries are busy building artificial islands. This first came to my attention when a friend living in Dubai told me about the project there to construct a miniature replica of the earth from manmade islands, called the “world archipelago” (on the right, still under construction).

Then I saw these photos of the different phases of construction of an island made of garbage that includes landing strips and skyscrapers in Tokyo Bay, and it really blew my mind.

By consulting Wikipedia, I found a list of manmade islands around the world, and there’s quite a few. But are any suitable adventure destinations?

Well, the Danube Island / Donauinsel in Austria, is quite the tourist mecca, if a little upscale. Then there’s Barro Colorado Island in the Panama canal, which has been administered by the Smithsonian since 1946. Here’s what they have to say about it:

“We welcome around 200 scientists from around the world every year. Modern, air-conditioned laboratory space, a cafeteria, and accommodations are available for resident researchers, and the Field Research Station features all the necessary infrastructure: offices, labs, growing houses, an insectary, dark room, computer room, dining hall, conference room, visitor’s center, as well as Internet access, telephones, and boat rental services.”

Friends have also told me about Uros , the manmade islands that float around Lake Titicaca, they always seemed worth the trip.

A little closer to home, take a kayaking tour of the ruins of Isola di Lolando in Florida, a failed artificial island development project.

Or explore for yourself, just watch out for hurricanes! Like the one that destroyed manmade Spiral Island in Mexico.