Maldives Republic

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Dhivehi Raajje

Capital

Male

Government

Republic

Nationality

Maldivian

Population

299,000^[1]

Languages

Maldivian Dhivehi

Religions

Islam (Sunni)

Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)

Calling Code

+960

Time Zone

UTC+5

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Introduction

Maldives Resort

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Located just southwest of India, the Maldives are a chain of atolls stretching southwards over the equator. This is not a destination with a variety of attractions: visitors head to the Maldives for beautiful beaches, diving and other basic tropical island activities. Maldivian resorts are generally expensive, but of a high standard. They provide a launching point from which to enjoy the islands' rich rewards, like their gorgeous underwater coral formations and abundance of sea creatures, including whales, turtles, manta rays and sharks.

The two main towns (they can hardly be called cities) are Malé and Seenu and these make for nice day trips. The British, Dutch and Muslim influences which have created the modern Maldivian culture are of some interest for the tourist. But really, the best idea is to just stick to the sand.

Brief History

Geography

Atolls

Of the 20 administrative atoll groups in the Maldives, only the following 10 are open to tourism (code names used - traditional names are in parentheses):

• Lhaviyani (Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi)
• Raa (Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi)
• Baa (Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi)
• Kaafu (North and South Male Atoll) is home to the capital Male and the airport, home of most Maldivian resorts
• Alifu (Ari) is the second most popular group.
• Vaavu (Felidhu)
• Meemu (Mulak)
• Faafu (Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi)
• Dhaalu (Nilandhe Atholhu Dhekunuburi)
• Seenu (Addu) is the second most populous group.

The remaining atolls are Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Laamu, Nyavinani, Seenu, Shaviyani, and Thaa.

Cities

• Male is the country's capital and largest city.
• Hithadhoo
• GanFedu

Sights and Activities

Dhoni Ride

A Dhoni is a traditional Maldives sail boat. The boat closely resembles an Arabian sailing vessel called dhow. This boat has been used for centuries for sailing between the islands. Traditionally these boats were built from coconut palm timber and used lateen sails. Today the boats are made from fiber glass and sometimes outfitted with a motor.

Beaches

Ranging from private islands to large scale luxury resorts Maldives is a great place to relax. Many of the resorts offer private beaches, restaurants, coffee shops, malls, lounges, bars, discos and diving schools. For people wanting a more eco-friendly there are now some more environmentally friendly resorts.

Diving

With amazing reefs to explore and underwater life to see the Maldives offer some excellent diving. Because these islands have excellent underwater scenery, great visibility and generally unpolluted water makes them one of the best diving locations in the world. Many of the resorts offer dive certification classes if needed. Remember diving here is not cheap.

Other Sights and Activities

• Muleeaage (Former Presidential Palace) is a beautiful colonial palace located in the capital.
• Hulhumalé Mosque is a stunning modern mosque.
• Bird watching: With a good population of birds there is some good bird watching to do here.

Events and Festivals

Weather

The Maldives have a tropical climate with abundant rainfall and high temperatures around the year. The northern islands have a rainy season from May to November with most rain in July and August. The islands near or south of the equator have rain more evenly distributed throughout the year and in the case of the most southern parts most rain falls in the period November to March.
The northern islands are occasionally affected by tropical cyclones between August and November. These bring very strong winds and torrential rain.
Temperatures are around 30 degrees Celsius during the day and around 25 degrees Celsius at night, with little variation between months and between the islands.

Getting there

By Plane

Malé International Airport (MLE) is the main airport with direct flights from Rome, Milan, Prague, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, Paris, Moscow, Dubai, London, Munich, Manchester, Zürich and Frankfurt among others. In Asia there are connections from Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Shanghai. All these destinations are operated by foreign airlines.

As of 2008, Island Aviation Services was the only Maldives based airlines to fly internationally with only one destination, Thiruvanathapuram in India.

By Boat

There are no passenger services to and from the Maldives. A berth on a yacht or cargoship might be possible, but you have to be extremely lucky and it's not really recommended either.

Getting around

Note that travelling around independently is discouraged. You need to get a special visitors permit to visit islands which don't have any tourist facilities. You can only get one if you are invited by locals living on the specific island you want to visit. In practice, this means that you will probably only visit Malé and one or two islands for relaxing, diving or fishing.

By Plane

Island Aviation Services has domestic flights between Gan, Hanimaadhoo, Kaadedhdhoo Island, Kadhdhoo Island and Malé. Trans Maldivian Airways does the same. Maldivian Air Taxi provides private air charters and VIP flights between many islands.
Transport is mainly by seaplanes and helicopters.

By Land

Most islands are so small that you can easily walk around them within a few hours. In the capital Malé and a few other places you can rent motorcycles or bicycles. Taxis are available as well.

By Boat

The main sea transport for locals is the dhoni, a traditional all-purpose vessel. Larger boats, called vedis, are used for longer trips to outer atolls. Most travellers won't use these local vessels, other than on arranged trips when boats are modified to meet tourist standards.

Some high speed boats connect the international airport with several of the atolls and islands. Islands further away are serviced by seaplane.

Red Tape

Visitors from all countries are issued a 30-day stamp on arrival. Citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal are given a 90-day stamp. If you want to stay longer you will either need to apply for a visa or leave the country when your 30 days are over and then return.

While officially you are supposed to show 30 US Dollar for every day’s stay, this is not usually enforced, and showing a credit card will usually be sufficient. You should know the name of your hotel however (sometimes even naming a hotel is enough) and be able to show a return air ticket out of the country, if asked by immigration officials.

Money

See also: Money Matters

The currency of the Maldives is the rufiya, which is divided into 100 larees. Notes come in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, five and two rufiya, but the last two are uncommon. Coins are in denominations of two and one rufiya, and 50, 25 and 10 larees. The value of the rufiya is pegged to that of the US dollar at 12,8 rufiya to a dollar.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

The main sources of food are coconuts, fish and tubers like taro and sweet potato. There are also some fruits to be found on the islands. While on the islands one must try hunigondi, which is a traditional dish made from coconuts. Another major difference between Maldivians and other Pacific islanders is there is no tradition of eating raw fish. Therefore all fish dishes, including the great tuna, is cooked.

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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