About Maldives
Geography
The Maldives were believed to have been formed around 68 million years ago. The atolls are made up of live coral reefs and sand banks, situated on top a submarine ridge that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean.
The Maldives are an archipelagic country and consists of 1,192 coral islands (187 inhabited islands, 172 resorts and 833 uninhabited islands) grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, that stretch along a length of 871 kilometres north to south and 130 kilometres east to west. Maldives lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland.
Maldives is the lowest-lying country in the world, with maximum natural ground levels of only 5.1 metres (average 1.5 metres) above sea level.
The capital Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world since almost half of the population is living in the capital. With around 557,426 inhabitants, the Maldives is the second least populous country in Asia.
Political
On 26 July 1965 the Maldives attained full political independence from the British. Now Maldives is a presidential constitutional republic, which means the president is head of government and head of state.
Tourism
Malé International Airport (Velana International Airport) is the principal gateway to the Maldives; it is near the capital city Malé and is surrounded by water.
You can travel between the islands by domestic flight, by seaplane, or by boat.
Tourism began to be developed on the archipelago by the beginning of the 1970s. The first resort in the Maldives was Kurumba Maldives which welcomed the first guests on 3 October 1972.
Climate
There are two seasons which dominate Maldives’ weather: the dry season associated with the winter northeastern monsoon and the summer rainy season associated with the southwest monsoon which brings strong winds and storms.
The shift from the dry northeast monsoon to the moist southwest monsoon occurs during April and May. During this period, the southwest winds contribute to the formation of the southwest monsoon, which reaches Maldives at the beginning of June and lasts until the end of November.
The Maldives experiences a tropical climate with year-round warm weather and average high temperatures of 31.5 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of 26.4 degrees Celsius.
The sea in the Maldives is warm all year round, in fact, the water temperature ranges from 28°C to 30°C, which makes it a perfect destination for all kinds of water sports and diving.
The beauty of the Maldives is not only above the water and you can explore about five percent of the planet’s reefs that comes with an explosion of colours.
Coral reefs are the foundation of the islands as they offer protection to the little islands as its natural defence system. Soft and hard corals form the reefs which are home to a thousand species of fish. Due to the rich nutrients that flow in with the currents, large pelagic fishes such as manta rays and whale sharks also make the Maldives their home.