Straddling the equator in the Indian Ocean, the Republic of Maldives is an archipelago of islands stretching over 820 km north-south and 128 km east-west. The 1,190 small islands that make up the Maldives are clustered into 26 natural atolls, which for administrative purposes are grouped into 20. Each atoll is a ring of breakwater coral reef, studded with islands and pierced by a few narrow ocean channels. The coral reefs of the Maldives are the seventh largest in the world, covering more than 8,500 sq km.
Of the more than 1000 islands, only 199 islands are inhabited, and another 80 islands have been developed into tourist resorts. These low-lying islands have an average elevation of just a few feet above sea level and have white sandy beaches, tall coconut palms and crystal-clear lagoons. Land surfaces vary from tiny sandbanks and coral patches to real "coral islands," with few being more than 1 km long.
Climate
The country has a warm tropical climate, with average daily temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius all year round. The rainy southwest monsoon begins during May and continues until November, while the dry northeast monsoon prevails from January to March. View current weather in the Maldives.
Population
The population of 298,968 (Census 2006) is scattered throughout the country, but Male', the capital island, houses a population of 103,000 in an area of only 2 sq km, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city also averages an annual growth rate of 5.59%, much greater than the growth rate of the country, at 1.69%. Visit the Ministry of Planning and National Development website.
Language and Religion
The local and official language is Dhivehi, a language which is placed in the Indro-Indian group of languages and truly unique to the Maldives. With the wide dispersion in population, vocabulary and pronunciation across the atolls do differ, and the southern dialects are quite distinct. The Maldivian script, Thaana, was adopted in the 16th Century and is written from left to right. Dhivehi was the language medium in schools until the 1960s when English was adopted, and now, throughout the Maldives, English is widely spoken and used in education, business and international communication.
Some useful phrases:
Hello Assalaam Alaikum
Yes Aan
No Noon
How’re you? Kihineh?
Good Rangalhu
Thank you Shukuriyya
Goodbye Dhanee
All Maldivians are Sunni Muslims, and religion has been and continues to be an integral part of everyday life since 1153 when the Maldives embraced Islam. The law is based on the Islamic Shari’a and even the main events and festivals of the Maldives also follow the Muslim calendar.
Government
The Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887 until 1965 when it gained independence and became a democratic republic. The President leads the Government with the support of the cabinet of Ministers, and the main legislative body is the People's Majlis, or Parliament, composed of 50 elected by citizens of the country.
The current Head of State, H.E. President Mohamed Nasheed was elected into office after the first-ever democratic election held in October 2008. In 2005, the Parliament voted to introduce a multi-party system to the Maldives, and to date, 5 parties have been registered – Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maldivian Democratic Part (MDP), Adhaalath Party, Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) and the Maldivian Social Democratic Party.
Visit the official Government of Maldives website.
Economy
The Maldivian economy has grown at an average rate of 7.9% over the past 15 years, and while inflation has remained moderate, GDP and per capita income both grew steadily. The Maldivian economy is heavily dependent on fisheries and tourism, which are the major sources of foreign exchange and government revenue. Tourism is very much the larger of the two, with direct and indirect contributions estimated to be as high as 70% of GDP.