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Strung out along the equator in the Indian Ocean are the 26 atolls that make up the tiny country of Maldives . Brilliant white sands, azure blue seas, tropical palms, sun and surf, the Maldives is an ideal destination to lie back, sip a drink and tan a delightful bronze.

Pamper yourself or rather let others pamper you as you sit back and relax in one of the luxurious resorts. If a holiday spells action for you, test the surf on your surfboard or dive in the waters to admire the exotic marine life or just simply hold her hand and walk on the soft white sand as the sun sets over the blue sea.

A perfect place for honeymoon! There is no other place as romantic as these Islands of Maldives- deep blue sky, brilliant white sands, sparkling sun kissed beaches, tropical palms and much more.

With over 1200 islets within the area of 300 square kilometres, Maldives has also been described as “The Necklace of Indian Ocean.”

The Maldives is the lowest country on the earth’s surface as it is just 4 feet 11 inches above sea level. More than 80 % of the Maldivian islands sit less than 3.2 feet above sea level.

There are over 2,000 species of fish and approximately 300 species are reef fish found in the waters surrounding Maldives. Seven species of reef fish in these waters have never been discovered elsewhere in the world.

Did you know that the Maldives was the first country in the world to hold an official presidential cabinet meeting underwater? The meeting was attended by the president and vice president and a declaration on global climate change was signed.

Historically Speaking

The Maldives cleverly managed to escape too much colonial repression while its larger neighbours succumbed. The Portuguese got a taste of local grit when on having forced their way into power, killing the sultan, and generally overstaying their welcome, they were given a taste of their own medicine. In 1573, 15 years after Captain Andreas Andre established his rule, the local chief killed the entire Portuguese garrison in Male. After this the British and Dutch chose mostly to stay away till 1887 when the British were invited to participate in the island’s economic life.

It was the domination of the Borah merchants of Bombay in the 1860s that forced this move. Fed up with the tight control that these outsiders exercised over the local economy, Sultan Mohammed Muenuddin II signed an agreement with the British. It made Maldives a British protectorate state and allowed the British to use the islands as a military base.

Maldives became a completely independent sultanate in 1965, and three years later a completely independent republic. The Prime Minister of many years Ibrahim Nasir was elected President. In 1978

the present President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom succeeded Nasir to the highest post. In 1980 President Gayoom set up a special citizens’ majlis (committee) to recommend constitutional changes. These were implemented in 1998.

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Habitat

Of late this beautiful coral archipelago has been feeling the effects of the El Nino current. There was severe bleaching when the waters rose in 1998 and though this robbed the corals of some of their rainbow brightness, the marine life was left intact and remains varied and beautiful. Maldives is still as much a diver’s paradise as ever.

Maldives stretches out north to south across the Equator just a few degrees below Sri Lanka. 1192 tiny islands in all, spread out over 754 km north-south and 118 km east-west, the land area amounts to only 298 sq km, a mere 0.4% of the total area.

The shimmering white sands of Maldives are great to lie back and relax on but not very good for crops. Some of the more fertile islands have some rainforest but otherwise Maldives grows watermelon, citrus fruits, banana, bamboo, and yam, millet and taro, plus a lot of coconut.

Under water Maldives comes alive in a riot of fantastic colours and shapes. Turtles, cod, sea unicorns, butterfly fish, angel fish, parrot fish, blue stripe snapper, Moorish idols, Moray eels weave in and out of the coral reefs. Further offshore

lie the big game: deep-sea divers can find swimming companions in dolphins, sting and manta ray, and even some shark.

On terra firma the range is not quite as exciting. Giant fruit bats and big brilliant lizards dominate the wildlife scene on the land.

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