The Republic of the Maldives is a sprinkle of coral atolls and tiny islands in the Indian Ocean, just south-west of Sri Lanka. Tourists from around the world come to enjoy the postcard-perfect tropical islands, the amazing underwater environment and the excitement of diving, surfing and sailing in the warm blue water.
About the Maldives

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Geography
The Maldives is a chain of 26 coral atolls that extends over 750 km of the Indian Ocean, to just south of the equator. Of the 1192 islands only about 290 are inhabited, including about 90 with tourist resorts.
The capital is Male' (pronounced mar-lay), a densely populated island of only 2 sq km. The atolls are roughly circular coral formations with a central lagoon, fringing reef, and just a few small islands around the edges and in the middle. Natural channels serve as entry points to the atoll, and deeper channels separate the atolls from each other.
The larger islands grow coconut palms and other tropical vegetation, while the crystal clear lagoon waters have an abundance of marine life, from microscopic coral polyps to giant whale sharks.
History & Culture «
The Maldives is an Islamic nation of approximately 250,000 people. Its fascinating history is linked to the ancient trade routes of the Indian Ocean, and goes back as far as 2000 BC. For most of that time it has maintained its independence, except for a 15 year occupation by the Portuguese which came to a bloody end in the mid 16th century. It had a protection treaty with Britain from 1887 to 1965, but maintained its own internal government.


Maldivians are an independent people with a very strong sense of their own identity and culture. They speak Divehi, a language that is related to Sinhala, an ancient Sri Lankan dialect, but also contains influences from Arabic, Hindi and English.

The economy was traditionally based on fishing and trading, but over the past 25 years the country has developed a highly successful, resort-based tourism industry. This has been carefully planned and regulated to protect both the environment and the culture. Independent travel is discouraged, and virtually all visitors to the Maldives are package tourists staying at one of the resorts or cruising in a licensed safari boat. Diving is a main attraction for tourists as the Maldives is recognised as one of the world's premier diving locations.



Visitor Information «
    Visas:
    A 30-day tourist visa is granted on arrival.
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