Joanna James
The Maldives is a popular travel destination that many go to enjoy its abundant sunlight and watersports. Its pristine beaches and the cuisine are draw cards that no one can resist.
Over ninety per cent of the country consists of water, and all the atolls are made up of coral reefs and sand bars. Most of the atolls are fortified for tourism with the likes of Anantara Veli Maldives Resort, making it easy for tourists to find a Maldives bungalow.
There are 1192 coral islands which stretch over 90,000 square kilometres.
The beach sand is unusually white as it is not produced from quartz but coralline.
There are two distinct seasons; namely southwestern summer monsoon season and winter northeastern monsoon season.
The country is located close to the equator, which is why the country is hotter compared to other Asian countries – the sun almost shines directly upon the country.
The culture, the heritage and the language are all influenced by India, Sri Lanka and Africa. The people from these countries travelled to the Maldives through the trade routes.
Indians were the first to inhabit the country – the first Maldivian kingdom was established by a disowned Indian prince.
It is the smallest country in South Asia, and it is also the smallest Islamic country in the world.
The country embraced Islam in 1153 A.D, and now it is an Islamic country that upholds Islamic laws.
The Maldivian weekend starts on Friday and ends on Saturday – quite unlike the western style weekends.
Tsunami caused a lot of damage to the country. Six islands were destroyed completely, and 57 islands suffered severe damage.
The country is among the nations that are affected by climate change and global warming – the country could be flooded completely by the rising sea-level.
The parrotfish makes a great contribution to the making of the beach sand. The sand is produced from the undigested coral they consume.
UNESCO designated 75 islands in 2011 as the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve. This is the most important part of the country in terms of biodiversity.
The Maldives shelters five species of turtles which are the loggerhead, the leatherback turtle, the olive ridely turtle, the hawksbill and the green turtle.
The country is home to 21 species of whales and dolphins which make dolphin and whale watching excursions popular leisure-time activities.
There's a wide range of accommodation options, including resorts, hotels, and guest houses.
The snorkelling and diving trips are always made better by the encounters of yellow boxfish, lionfish, blue and yellow striped snappers.
The range of watersports include diving, flyboarding, jet skiing, kite surfing, surfing and water skiing.
The Maldives is one of the safest travel destinations, mainly due to its isolated nature of the resort islands.
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