Saadiyat Island

Saadiyat Island, Arabic for "Happiness Island," is a large, low-lying island 500 metres (1,600 ft) off the coast of Abu Dhabi island in the UAE, and is currently under development.

A mixed commercial, residential, and leisure project is currently under construction on the island, expected to be completed in 2020. According to government officials, Saadiyat Island is expected to become Abu Dhabi's cultural centre.

Development

Saadiyat Island is being developed by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), an independent public joint stock company of which Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is the sole shareholder. TDIC’s strategy is to dispose of development land on the island to private investors who will each develop their sites in accordance with the masterplan and supporting planning regulations and design guidelines.

The master plan for Saadiyat island was done by EDAW and continued under AECOM after its purchase of the company.

Development and Labor Conditions

In May 2009, Gulf Ultra Luxury Faction issued a report accusing the contractors working on Saadiyat Island of violating the rights of workers on the site by charging them fees to obtain their work contracts, paying them less than they were promised, and holding their passports to prevent their resignation or departure. The report also called on western partners (including Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the French Museum Agency, and New York University) to seek contractual assurances that these violations would not continue once construction on facilities for those institutions was underway. The alleged violations of the workers' rights would also constitute violations of United Arab Emirates law.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi (US /ˈɑːbuː ˈdɑːbi/, UK /ˈæbuː ˈdɑːbi/; Arabic: أبو ظبي‎ Abū Ẓabī Emirati pronunciation [ɐˈbuˈðˤɑbi]) is the capital and the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (the most populous being Dubai), and also capital of Abu Dhabi emirate, the largest of the UAE's seven member emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. The city proper had a population of 1.5 million in 2014.

Abu Dhabi houses federal government offices, is the seat of the United Arab Emirates Government, home to the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE, who is from this family. Abu Dhabi's rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed the city into a large and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the country's center of political and industrial activities, and a major cultural and commercial centre, due to its position as the capital. Abu Dhabi accounts for about two-thirds of the roughly $400-billion United Arab Emirates economy.

Saint Regis

Saint Regis (or St. Regis) may refer to John Francis Regis, recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

Other uses of the name include:

Resort island

A resort island is a mass of land that is surrounded by water, to which many people go for recreation, rest, etc. Or it can simply defined as an island or an archipelago that contains resorts, hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and its amenities, and might offer all-inclusive accommodations. It primary focus on tourism services and offer leisure, adventure, and amusement opportunities.

Resort island is often confused or identified with island resort, which is a resort located on an island. Island resort is almost the same with seaside resort or beach resort, which offers beaches and water sport activities, such as sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and surfing, the only difference is that seaside resorts might located on the continent's seaside, while island resorts must be located on an island or archipelago.

Resort island mostly rely on its natural beauty to attract visitors, such as pristine beaches, rich biodiversity of its coral reefs and forest, or its secluded and private location. While others might rely on their man-made built attractions, such as spas, amusement parks, casinos or its nightlifes.

Island

An island /ˈaɪlənd/ or isle /ˈaɪl/ is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be called an eyot or ait, or a holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago, e.g. the Philippines.

An island may be described as such despite the presence of an artificial land bridge, for example Singapore and its causeway, or the various Dutch delta islands, such as IJsselmonde. Some places may even retain "island" in their names for historical reasons after being connected to a larger landmass by a wide land bridge, such as Coney Island or Coronado Island. Conversely, when a piece of land is separated from the mainland by a man-made canal, for example the Peloponnese by the Corinth Canal, it is generally not considered an island.

There are two main types of islands: continental islands and oceanic islands. There are also artificial islands.