The Maldives are a holiday paradise.
They are a chain of coral islands and all with pure white sandy beaches, palm
trees swaying in the wind, crystal-blue lagoons and sunny days. The climate has
around 90oC and a fresh sea breeze with moonlit nights. There is nothing amiss
for a holiday in paradise. A frequent but brief cloudburst of rain keeps the
vegetation green and lush.
In the local language it is known as
the Island Kingdom -- Dhivehi Raajje. The Maldives are 600km from India on the
north-east and Sri Lanka 670km on the east. There are 1,190 islands making an
823km long chain but only 200 are inhabited. The islands built a double line of
26 atolls and each with a coral reef around. The land on each island is about
two metre above sea level. It also takes about ten minutes to walk around.
Most of the crops grown are coconuts,
bananas, mangoes, breadfruits, cassava, sweet potatoes and millet.
THE CAPITAL MALE - MALDIVE
ONE OF THE ISLANDS
Their main economy is tourism which
is increasing rapidly and there are holiday resorts on 70 islands. Another big
income is fishing, especially for Tuna. Boat-building and handicrafts
give also an income and employment. Their main food is rice but it has to
be imported.
The Maldives don't have a lot of
wildlife but the bats, rats, mice, shrews, reptiles and insects have been
brought in from ships. The herons and some other birds have taken up residence.
There also other rare migratory birds. All those islands are surrounding by
coral reefs teeming with fish and beautiful sea-life. A wonderful, natural
paradise for divers. Tourists might see the bottle-nose dolphins swimming
around the reef edges.
The only way to the Maldives is by
air to the capital, Male. Travelling from island to island can be done by small
boats. These boats are like Arab dhows and called dhoani. The alternative is by
water taxis, private schooners and yachts.
The Maldives were created by volcanic
eruptions. Those eruptions from the Indian Ocean floors formed cone-line
islands and eventually sank back after the volcanoes eruptions lessened,
leaving coral reefs.
It is believed, the Maldives were
inhabited about 400 years ago. The people were mainly from southern India
called Dravidian and from Sri Lanka called Sinhalese. There are ruins to be
found of Buddhist and Hindu temples.
In the 13th century Marco Polo reported
that the Andaman Islands are populated by cannibals. In 1858 a colony was
founded on the largest of the islands. Today, the islands are a diver's
paradise.
The population is of mixed African,
Indian, Malaysian and Arab descendants. The Portuguese ruled the island for 15
years in the 16th century. Apart from that they always were independent. In
1968 they became a republic. The main language is Dhivehi which is an
Indo-Iranian mixture. It is also written from right to left like Arabic. Over
the last 50 years English became the second language.
MULIAA'GE -- THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE IN MALE.
HOLIDAYS
It might not be the cheapest of your
holidays but it will certainly be the most memorable one.
Travel to the capital Male and visit
the VIP lounge.
A Maldives Holiday can include
staying in a water villa elevated above the turquoise waters with sea-view over
sun trenched white sandy beaches and palm trees swaying in the prise.
Pampered and spoiled with spa
treatments.
Experience a magnificent underwater
world with professional supervising scuba-dives.
A DHOANI WITH NO LANTEEN SAILS
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