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Information about the Maldives

Info Pictures

GEOGRAPHY

The Maldives Islands are into north-south direction 764 km along but into the east-west direction only 128 km broad. The northernmost islands are about 700 kilometres southwest of Sri Lanka and south India. The total area of the island state is only approximately 90,000 km², all island areas added up, however, 300 km², therefore only 0.3% of the total area. The Maldives are at the 73rd eastern longitude, the northernmost island Thuraakunu is located on 7°06' north of the equator and the southernmost island Gan is located on 0°42' southern of the equator. The Maldives consist of approximately 1190 islands in 26 geographical atolls, this one was clubbed together on 19 administration technical atolls.

The old and new names of the atolls with the numbers of respective islands
The Maldives in historical maps , collected by Maldives Culture
The Maldives in the actual maps of the Department for Planning

The foundation of the Maldives is a submarine ridge and the Maldives islands are grown on the northeastern end of the Mid Indian Ridge which reaches in the area of the Maldives at most 50 meters to the sea-level. At the peaks of this mountain the corals established themselves, this grew contrary to the light to the surface. Coral sand was taken up on the numb coral-reefs and on the bigger sandbanks, this one rose from the water far enough, plants established themselves from seeds, that was got as flotsam and jetsam by the flow.
The islands of the Maldives rise from the sea on average only 2-3 meters and when the sea-level rising by the general global warming they would sink in the sea as one of the first countries. We doesn't know how long this lasts still. Scientists still calculated about 10 years ago with 70-100 years, meanwhile, the forecasts were corrected already repeatedly drastically for the rising of the sea-level by melting the polar ice! A rise of the sea-level by 10 cm has an effect on the course of the flows: Beaches and sandbanks disappear or are shifted. A rising by 50 cm would mean, however, that first the beach would be washed away on all islands and the vegetation by the now higher surf and at high tide dies and after that the sandy soil also would be washed away within short time, so that only more occasional bleak coral-reefs and concrete foundations rise from the sea ...

SMARTPHONE SEA-CHARTS

CLIMA

From May until October the weather is influenced by the southwest monsoon and of November until April of the north-east monsoon. It usually rains least from January until March and and at the most of June until August, but it can fairly often rain within the monsoon change months May and November, too. The average air temperature in the Maldives is between 23 and 32 degrees Celsius and the water temperature between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius. Of course, these are only statistical values, because we can rely on the weather nowhere today ;-)
Increase about the weather on the weather and astronomy page and the temperature and water value on the 2nd information page.
The average weather for the current month: .

REEF-FORMS & NAMES

Reef-type:

Description:

Example-reef - Atoll

Falhu

Lagoon with one or several islands included by reefs

Maadiggaru Falhu - North-Male

Faru

Large coral-reef which partly rises from the sea at low tide

Kuda Faru - North-Male

Finolhu

Island with little or no coconut nut palms

Embudhu Finolhu - South-Male

Fushi

Large island which lies at the atoll margin mostly

Machchafushi - Ari

Giri

Write reclining figure small reef, obstacle for the shipping drive, under the surface

Kuda Giri - Lhaviyani

Kandu

Reef channel, mostly at the outer reef

Maafushi Kandu - South-Male

Nagu

Reef-finger, mostly at a house-reef or Thila

Hulangu Nagu - Baa Atoll

Thila

A little more profound reef, there is no obstacle at low tide either for the shipping drive

Maaya Thila - Ari

RELIGION

The religion and form of government is the Islam
Women don't enter a mosque, Man only with long pants
"Above without" or naked-bath is forbidden strictly everywhere.
Only on the resorts You becomes alcohol and pork on the sells and serves.
Outside of hotel-islands, Women must every coveredly upper arms, shoulders and knees.

THE PRIDE OF THE MALDIVIAN NATION

THE NATIONAL SYMBOL

Hear the MALDIVIAN ANTHEM

Qawmee mi ekuveri kan mathee thibegen kureeme salaam.
Qawmee bahun gina heyo dhua`a kuramun kureeme salaam.
Qawmee nishaan ah hurmathaa eku boa labaa thibegen
Audhaana kan libigen evaa dhidha ah kureeme salaam.
Nasraa naseebaa kaamiyaabu ge ramzakah himeney
Fessa rathaai hudhaa ekee fenumun kureeme salaam.

TOURISM 40 YEARS TOURISTS ON MALDIVES

39 years ago, on 16th February 1972 landed the first tourists, 22 Italian divers, on Kurumba. The real forerunners were however others and only she made the Maldives popular: The incomparable diving sapper Prof. Dr. Hans Hass with his Xarifa and his crew and Michael Friedel, the today universal known photographer of the Maldivian islands for the German Magazine "Stern" in the year 1973.

Still a name is connected with the Maldives Islands narrowly: Georg Krose, the founder of "Sub Aqua" which set up the first diving base on Baros 1973. The photos of Michael Friedel about the Maldives was more known than Coca Cola :-)

INLAND FLIGHT & TRANSPORTS

MALDIVIAN (before ISLAND AVIATION)
Male 20026, No.26 Ameer Ahmed Magu, ,
Telefon: +960-335566, Fax: +960-3314806, info@island.com.mv

MAT - MALDIVIAN AIR TAXI Pte. Ltd
Male International Airport, P.O.Box 2023 Male,
Tel.: +960-315201, Fax: +960-315203, sales@mat.com.mv

TMA - TRANS MALDIVIAN AIRWAYS Pvt. Ltd
Male International Airport, P.O.Box 2079 Male,
Tel.: +960-325708, Fax: +960-323161, mail@tma.com.mv