Maldives |
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The Maldives is an archipelago of 26 natural atolls consisting of 1,190 small islands covering an area of 859,000 sq km in the Indian Ocean. The islands which are 80-120 km wide stretch 860 km from latitude 7°6'35"N to 0°42'24"S, and lie between longitude 72°33'19"E to 73°46'13"E. India and Sri Lanka are the country's nearest neighbours, lying some 600 km and 750 km north and north east of the Maldives, respectively. |
 History and People |  Culture |  Fauna |
Maldives
According to historical and archaeological evidence the Maldives was settled more than 2500 years ago in 500 BC. Not much is known about the exact origin of the people of the Maldives. However, archaeological findings of Buddhist relics indicate that the early settlers were probably from southern India and Sri Lankeligion and culture. Today the people of the Maldives display common features of all the major races and are entirely Muslim. Except for a few brief spells - at first under Portuguese and then
as a British Protectorate, the country has remained independent throughout its history.
The Head of State and Chief Executive is the President who is elected by a referendum
every five years. The President appoints the Cabinet Ministers and they may or may not be
members of the Parliament. The Maldives
has a warm and humid tropical climate, dominated by two monsoons: the rainy south-west
monsoon (called Hulhangu by the locals) from May to November, and the dry north-east
monsoon (Iruvai) from January till March when winds blow predominantly from either of
these two directions. The relative humidity ranges from 73 percent to 85 percent Daily
temperatures vary little throughout the year with a mean annual temperature of 28°C.
Average annual rainfall is approximately around 2000 mm. The wettest months of the year
are generally May, August, September and December, and the driest from January to April.
As the country lies on the equatorial calm belt know to mariners as the Doldrums, the
affects of cyclones are seldom felt in the country. Due to the small size of the islands and the resulting high soil salinity, the natural vegetation has a high proportion of salt tolerant species of both shrubs and trees. Coconut palms cover the islands; except the capital, Malé, where natural vegetation was cleared extensively for urban development. A few varieties of vegetables and tropical fruits are grown in the islands. The limited variety of fauna in the country includes reptiles such as the gecko, the common garden lizard, the snake skink and frogs. The mammals common to the country are two subspecies of fruit bats, ra. Extremely rich in marine fauna, especially in the coral reefs, making the reefs of the Maldives one of .... Geography Only 33 inhabited islands of the Maldives have a land area of more than 1 square kilometre while just 3 islands have an area larger than 3 square kilometres. 80 percent of islands have an elevation of less than one meter above sea level. The outer reef protects the islands from being washed away by the ocean waves. |
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