Code Geass - Locations - Horai Island Analysis

Horai Island: An artificial island located off the coast of the Chinese Federation. Serves as the headquarters for the Black Knights following their exile from Area Eleven. The structure is that of a triangular platform with stabilizer planks outfitted to the sides. Originally a tidal power station for the Chinese Federation, it was ceded to the Black Knights, along with a set of KMFs granted by the India Militarized Zone.

Synopsis: While the world is no stranger to naval carriers and other autonomous vessels, creating an island which is over a mile long in each direction, and can house over a million people, is something of an engineering hurdle. On the one hand, there are advantages in that the platform is so wide that it retains both a high buoyancy and an inability to capsize or sink. On the other, the significant amount of materials necessary for construction means it's not so feasible in the modern world.

Here's a bit of perspective: the USS Gerald Ford is set to roll off the American assembly line in 2016, will be almost a quarter mile long in monodirectionally, will contain two nuclear reactors, and will hold 4,500 people. And for all of this, the American taxpayer need only pay $13 Billion.

Horai Island, meanwhile, was conceptualized to hold 225 times as many people, so from a proportional standpoint, the cost must surely be very near to $2,925 Billion ($2.93 Trillion). And even if it isn't, even if it's only half the cost, it would still account for over a third of what the United States government spends currently.

The Americans, then, won't be building an island nation anytime soon. Well then, what about the European Union? It turns out there are a variety of factors which might attribute to their constructing a super-landmark out at sea:

- The GDP of the EU in 2012 was over sixteen trillion Euros, or more than eighteen trillion US Dollars. Combined with higher tax rates in the governments of the member states, the resource pool for public projects is far greater.

- The EU is home to some of the world's greatest engineers. The British gave us the Concorde aircraft, the French and Germans teamed up to give us the Bugatti Veyron, and the Swedes gave us the Koenigsegg Agera R. Of course, nothing hits the point home quite like the Italians, who found a way to optimize marine-based solar power generation in 2010.

- Europe borders the Atlantic Ocean and contains multiple large bodies of water, from the English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea (known prominently for its Suez Canal). There is such an emphasis on water travel that water-based lodging is the logical next step.

Based on the above factors, the EU then appears to be a perfect candidate. Throwing a super-landmark into the Mediterranean, for instance, would not be too difficult considering the benefits to the European nations, as well as the amount of resources available with which to construct it and the technological expertise of the people.That said, the scope of the project (space for a million people as well as being a platform for building construction) continues to be a concern.

It's like the Palm Islands in the United Arab Emirates. Made entirely of natural materials (rock, sand, dirt), they cost more than a billion dollars American. Unfortunately, they were built upon a flawed premise, intended to become a string of resort-vacation homes. When the global real estate market crashed, the project dried up, as its primary function became unattainable.

Therefore, any future attempts at constructing an artificial island need to be done in a manner that brings out the greatest function, rather than as an extension of consumerist ideals. But I feel it can be done. Perhaps not by 2020, but by 2050 we could easily see a handful of these zones popping up across the global seas. Therefore, it is something we need to plan for. It must become a priority.