The world’s attention is now turning to Saudi Arabia, which is the capital city being built on the Red Sea. Covering an area of 265,000 square kilometers, this mega city named ‘Neom’, which is being built at a cost of $500 billion, will soon become the biggest tourist attraction in the country. It is reported that almost 20% of the infrastructure work has already been completed. When completed, it will be larger than neighboring Kuwait.
Novelty and Prince
There is reason behind naming the new city NEOM. It is a combination of the Greek word ‘NEO’ (new), the Arabic word mustaqbal (future) and the first letter ‘M’ of Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is behind the idea of this dream city.
There will be no cars
Another interesting thing is that there are no cars in such a big city. This is aimed at curbing carbon emissions. It will rely on the sun and wind for energy needs, and there will be hydrogen-based power generation. Neom will have the world’s largest green hydrogen production plant.
Volocopter for travel
How else would one travel across such a large city without cars? Volocopter is a new generation mode of transport used for travel. These are baby helicopters. Direct flights will be available from Neom to London and Dubai.
The structure of Neoim
Neom will be divided into 10 different zones, including the Floating Port, a ski resort in the Sarwat Mountains, and the Mirrored City. Luxury island destination Sindala to open for tourism Tourists will also be provided with necessary facilities at Trojana Hill Station. There will be cities like Line as the main city and Oxgon for industries.
By 2026, Neom is expected to have around 450,000 residents, rising to 1.5 to 2 million people by 2030. The city of Line will be home to nine million inhabitants.
Along with advanced modern amenities, the city of Neom also promotes sustainability. It also aims to become the “world’s most food self-sufficient city” using innovative agriculture and greenhouses. Saudi Arabia is a country that currently imports 80 percent of its food needs.
Asian Games will be the venue
The 2029 Asian Winter Games will be held in Neom’s city of Trogena. Trojana is located at an altitude of 1,500-2,600 m in the Sarwat Mountains, 50 km from the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Although it is generally a desert region, it experiences a cooler climate than other areas of Neom.
English Summary: Everything you need to know about Saudi mega-project Neom