Maldives Travel Guide
The Maldives are an archipelago of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts) scattered across the Indian Ocean, they are most peoples idea of a tropical paradise almost every island could front an envy–arousing postcard. As only 200 islands are inhabited the islands form a lot of delightfully remote hideaways. From the air, most are tiny splashes of sand, seemingly afloat in the turquoise rings of their encircling lagoons.
This chain of islands is an archipelago located among the Lakshadweep–Maldives–Chagos Group, which are the tops of a vast undersea mountain range in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. The atolls of the Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres, making it one of the most dispersed countries in the world in geographic terms.
The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres; the Maldives sinking is a great concern for the Maldivian people.
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Things to do
Aside from making the water bungalow rock on your honeymoon, the primary activity on the Maldives is scuba diving. The atolls are all coral reefs hundreds of kilometres away from any major landmass, meaning that water clarity is excellent and underwater life is abundant. Manta rays, sharks, even a few wrecks, you name it, you can find it in the Maldives.
While diving is very good by world standards even in the immediate vicinity of Male, visibility and the chance of encountering large pelagics increases as you head to the outer atolls.
Food and Cuisine
Maldivian food revolves largely around fish (mas), in particular tuna (kandu mas), and draws heavily from the Sri Lankan and south Indian tradition, especially Kerala. Dishes are often hot, spicy and flavoured with coconut, but use very few vegetables. A traditional meal consists of rice, a clear fish broth called garudhiya and side dishes of lime, chili and onions. Curries known as riha are also popular and the rice is often supplemented with roshi, unleavened bread akin to Indian roti, and papadhu, the Maldivian version of crispy Indian poppadums.
When to visit
With deep blue seas, turquoise reefs, white sandy beaches and palm trees, The Maldives are tropical islands, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures around 30C throughout the year. The beaches in the Maldives are known to be ranked in the top 10 in the world, and it is little wonder given it is a country that has more sea than land mass.
The Maldives, the pearls of the Indian Ocean, are a paradise on earth; and their relaxed tranquil atmosphere rubs off on to all who visit.
