Reclamation or Reclaimed

Areas and Artificial Islands

By: Domingo, King Richmond
B.
 Artificial Islands/ Man-made Island
• is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by
natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets
reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure, to
those that support entire communities and cities. Early artificial islands
included floating structures in still waters, or wooden or megalithic
structures erected in shallow waters
 Land Reclamation

• usually known as reclamation, and also known as land

fill (not to be confused with a landfill), is the process of
creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds.
The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or
land fill.
 Dangers

• Reclaimed land is highly susceptible to soil liquefaction during

earthquakes, which can amplify the amount of damage that occurs to
buildings and infrastructure. Subsidence is another issue, both from soil
compaction on filled land, and also when wetlands are enclosed by levees
and drained to create Polders. Drained marshes will eventually sink below
the surrounding water level, increasing the danger from flooding.
Largest artificial islands according to their size
(reclaimed lands)
No. Name Size (km2) Location Year built Utilisation

1 970 Flevoland,  1968 Towns,

Flevopolder
Netherlands agriculture
2 Yas Island 25 Abu Dhabi,  2018 Yas
UAE Marina Circuit
3 Kansai Internat 10.68[ Osaka, Japan Airport
ional Airport 1994

4 Hong Kong Int 9.4 Hong Kong 1998

ernational Airp
ort Airport
5 Palm Jebel Ali 8 Dubai, UAE Unknown on hold
 Controversial side effect

• To prepare the artificial island, a large amount of sand is

required. This preparation of sand may cause environmental
pollution. For example, Singapore dredged five hundred million
tons of sand to prepare an artificial island. This sand removal
caused desertification to a fishing town, having a bad effect on
the ecosystem.
 Political Status

• Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea treaty
(UNCLOS), artificial islands are not considered harbor works (Article 11)
and are under the jurisdiction of the nearest coastal state if within 200
nautical miles (370 km) (Article 56). Artificial islands are not considered
islands for purposes of having their own territorial waters or exclusive
economic zones, and only the coastal state may authorize their
construction (Article 60); however, on the high seas beyond national
jurisdiction, any "state" may construct artificial islands (Article 87).