10 youngest cities in the world

Most cities in the world have a rich history. Ancient buildings, sights – in such settlements you can see a lot of interesting things. But there is another category of cities. They were founded quite recently, their age definitely cannot be called respectable – 20, 10 and even 5 years old. Interested? Probably, everyone would like to visit a city in which there is no historical part, and all buildings have an exclusively modern character.

In Russia, there are few of them, you can count on the fingers. If the distance does not scare you, pay attention to our ranking of the youngest cities in the world. Even if you can’t go there yet, don’t rush to leave the site, it will be interesting. Let’s start.

10 Putrajaye, Malaysia (1995)

A small city, the administrative center of Malaysia. Its area is 49 km². It owes its name to Minister Rahman Abdul (translated as “glorious prince”). The city of the future, the city of intellect – as soon as they do not call Putrajaya. The most modern technologies were used in the construction. It was created specifically to relieve the capital Kuala Lumpur.

So far, only 55 thousand people live in all this splendor. Casual tourists are amazed at the desertedness of the city and its magnificence. Stunning architectural solutions, impeccable cleanliness. The main pride of the city is the Putra Mosque. If you ever visit Putrajaya, be sure to check it out. The inside is very beautiful, and the staff are loyal to tourists.

9. Iqaluit, Canada (2001)

The history of Iqaluit began in 2001, although it was founded much earlier. It was given the title of city after the division of the Northwest Territories into two administrative divisions. Now it is the capital of Nunavut. The area of ​​the city is 52,34 km², the population is 7 people. Iqaluit is located on the coast of Baffin Island. It is very cold here – the polar climate, so travelers rarely look into this town. It is the logistics center of the eastern Canadian Arctic, but there is not much to see here. Iqaluit is not rich in attractions, therefore it does not attract travelers.

8. Naypyidaw, Myanmar (2002)

Naypyidaw became the capital of Myanmar in 2005. All departments and ministries were moved here from Yangon, but the exact reasons for this deployment are unknown. The area of ​​the city is 7 thousand km², the population is 925 thousand people. Naypyidaw seems huge, but it is very unusually located. “City in the field” – that’s what tourists call it. Government organizations and residential buildings replace large areas of forest and shrubs.

The distance from one block to another is 10-15 km, so it is better to refrain from walking around Naypyidaw. The territory is allocated for a huge metropolis, but so far the development is going very slowly. Tourists rarely visit the city. If you ever come here, you can be the only guest in the inn.

7. Songdo, South Korea (2005)

A city in South Korea that was predicted to have a great future. It was built from scratch on 600 hectares of land. That’s just the intentions and remained intentions. Now Songdo is being compared to Chernobyl. The completion date has been pushed back several times. Less than half of the planned buildings (according to the project) have been erected. People are also in no hurry to move to Songdo. About 70 thousand people live here, which is negligible for such a city. If this continues further, this number will decrease significantly.

The reason is banal: developers are so carried away by attracting investors and foreign citizens that they forgot that ordinary people also live here. The city is very expensive. Huge buildings, deserted streets, lack of greenery – Songdo makes a depressing impression

6. King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia (2005)

The city with an unusual name has not yet been completed, the approximate date of completion of construction is 2035. According to the plan, an industrial zone, sleeping and business areas, an educational zone, a resort area are allocated here … In 2015, two residential areas were launched. Some companies already offer tourist tours. So if you want to see everything with your own eyes, you should hurry up, there is not much time left to complete the project.

5. Masdar, UAE (2006)

Masdar is an initiative of the Government of Abu Dhabi. According to the project, the city is located 17 km from the capital. It is expected that it will be provided with solar and other renewable energy sources and will become an eco-city. Lack of cars, dense low-rise buildings, a lot of greenery… Masdar is not a city, but a paradise on earth. Unfortunately, so far only a small part of the plan has been implemented. At the moment, it is too early to talk about the end of construction. There are 10 more years of fruitful work ahead. It is not yet clear whether it will be possible to realize all the plans, or whether they will remain unrealizable dreams.

4. Floating city-state, French Polynesia (2008)

The location of the first floating city is the Pacific coast, not far from the island of Tahiti. The project was developed by the non-profit Seasteading Institute. The construction of this unusual facility cost a round sum – 167 million dollars. It is scheduled to be delivered in 2020. True, so far there is no information about the opening of a floating state. Although it is unlikely to be intended for mere mortals. It is designed for only 300 inhabitants. Most likely, housing here will be fabulously expensive.

3. Andricgrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2014)

This city officially opened in 2014. It was built in three years, about 15 million euros had to be spent. The well-known director Kusturica acted as the developer of the idea and the investor. The city is located on an elongated peninsula, which previously was of no interest. Its area is 1,7 hectares. It has everything for a comfortable life: shops, cafes and restaurants, theaters, museums, an institute, a temple. Despite the fact that Andrichgard is not yet completed, a large number of tourists come here. Maybe the secret is that this is a “city within a city”, Visegrad is located around it.

Perhaps travelers are attracted by the unusualness of Andricgrad, it is made entirely of stone. Emir Kusturica wanted to call it Kamengrad, but then changed his mind and gave it a name in honor of the writer Ivo Andric.

2. Innopolis, Republic of Tatarstan (2015)

The satellite city of Kazan is part of its agglomeration. It is one of the few settlements in Russia that were built in the post-Soviet period. Innopolis is also the smallest town in the country. Its area is 2,2 km², the number of inhabitants is 407 (as of 2019). Construction began in 2012 and completed in 2015. Innopolis is not like an ordinary city. Its core is an IT institute, most of its inhabitants are students.

The basis of the economy is high-tech industries. This is a unique place to live. Modern infrastructure, safe environment, plenty of opportunities for implementation (education and professional development).

1. Neom, Saudi Arabia (2017)

Neom is still only a project of an extraordinary city. Energy is exclusively wind and solar. Robots will be the main attraction in Neom. They will be part of the system and commonplace for citizens.

Neom is located on the border of Jordan with Egypt. The planned building area is 26,5 thousand km², which is 33 times the area of ​​New York. Over $500 billion has already been allocated for construction. The planned completion date is 2025. The first phase of the project has already been completed, so the wait is not long. Flying taxis, robotic dinosaurs, an artificial moon – it sounds tempting. It remains to be hoped that Neom will open to tourists in the near future.