| Land Area : | 1,190 islands with a land area of 115 square miles (298 sq. km) | |
| Sea Area : | Approx. 41,500 square miles (107,500 sq. km) | |
| Location : | Indian Ocean | |
| Geography : | 1,190 coral islands, forming an archipelago of 26 major atolls. Stretches 820 kilometres north to south and 120 kilometres east to west. 202 are inhabited, 87 are exclusive resort islands. | |
| Latitude : | 07 degrees 06' 30" N to 00 degrees 41'48" S | |
| Longitude : | 72 degrees 32'30" E to 73 degrees 45'54" E | |
| Climate : | The Maldives have a hot tropical climate. There are two monsoons, the southwest from May to October and the northeast from November to April. Generally the southwest brings more wind and rain in June and July. The temperature rarely falls below 25C (77°F). The best time to visit is November to Easter. |
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| Government : | Republic | |
| Population : | 298,968 (2006 official) | |
| Capital : | Male', the capital island, has an area of 1.77 km2. | |
| International Airport : | Malé International Airport ( Hulhulé Island, two kilometeres east of Malé) | |
| Domestic Airports : | Gan Airport, Hanimaadhoo Airport, Kadhdhoo Airport and Kaadedhdhoo Airport | |
| Time Zone : | +5 hrs GMT | |
| Religion : | 100% Sunni Muslim. |
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| Languages : | Dhivehi is the national language which is spoken in all parts of the Maldives. English is widely spoken by Maldivians and In the resorts, a variety of languages are spoken by the staff including English, German, French, Italian and Japanese. |
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| Literacy Rate : | 98.2% (Age group 10-45 yrs) | |
| Temperature : | 30.4 degrees C (Mean Max) - 25.4 degrees C (Mean Min) | |
| Average Annual Rainfall : |
1948.2mm |
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| Electricity : | 220 - 240 volts | |
| Currency : | Maldivian Rufiyaa (1 US$ = Rf 12.85) | |
| Credit Cards : | American Express, Diners Club, Euro card, JCB, MasterCard, Visa | |
| Major Industries : | Tourism, fisheries, garments, boat building, building construction and handicrafts. |
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| National Flag : |  |
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| National Emblem : |  |
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| National Tree : | Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) | |
| National Flower : | Pink Rose (Rosa Polyantha) | |
| Culture : | A proud history and rich culture evolved from the first settlers who hailed from different parts of the world. The Maldives has been a melting pot of different cultures as people from different parts of the world came here and settled down in ancient times. Some of the local music and dances for instance resemble African influences, with hand beating of drums and songs in a language that is not known to any but certainly represents that of East African countries. As one would expect, there is great South Asian influence in some of the music and dancing and especially in the traditional food of the Maldivians. However many of the South Asian customs, especially with regard to women - for instance the Sub Continent’s tradition of secluding women from the public - are not tenets of life here. In fact women play a major role in society - not surprising considering the fact that men in rural islands spend the whole day out at sea fishing. Many of the traditions are strongly related to the sea as life is dependent on the seas around us. | |
| Economy : | The Maldives’ economy has been growing at an annual average of 8% for the past two decades. Tourism is the main industry, contributing close to 40% of the GDP. Fisheries, trade and construction follow close behind. The Maldivian economy is regarded as exemplary in the region and welcomes foreign investment. The GDP per capita currently stands at around US$ 2,300.00, which is a figure much higher than any other South Asian economy. | |
| Health : | Health care facilities are improving almost on a daily basis. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’ is the biggest hospital in the country providing sophisticated medical care. ADK Hospital is the biggest private health care facility and follows high medical standards. Some resorts have in-house doctors. A decompression chamber is within easy reach of most resorts in case of a diving emergency. | |
| Clothing : | Light weight cottons and linens. | |
| Shopping : | The capital Malé being the centre of commercial activity is the ideal place to shop. Shops open between 7.30 and 9.30 am, closing at 11.pm. On Fridays they open at 1.30 pm, closing as usual. All shops close for 15 minutes at every prayer time. | |
| Road Transport : | Travel on most of the islands takes no more than half-an-hour on foot. Bicycles and motorbikes are popular modes of transport in Male’ and some other bigger island. Taxis are un-metered, charging Rf. 15.00, if hailed on the road and Rf. 10.00 if hired via telephone. | |
| Air Transport : | Apart from a number of major international carriers like Singapore Airlines, Emirates, LTU, Lauda Air, Condor and many other flights that operate to the Maldives on charter and scheduled flights, there are also regular domestic flights operated by Island Aviation to Hanimaadhoo, Kadhdhoo, Kaadhedhdhoo, and Gan islands. Air transport to resorts are operated by Trans Maldivian Airways, and the Maldivian Air Taxi, the latter having the largest fleet. Sight-seeing trips, flights to uninhabited islands, photo-shooting trips, executive charters, and medevac operations are also carried out by them. | |
| Telecommunications : | The telecom network linking the various islands of the Maldives provides Plainline for local calls only, Easyline which includes operator assisted international calls, and Quickline with full IDD access world- wide; public and private card phones; mobile phone service; facsimile, 24-hour telex, and worldwide telegram services; a radio maritime service; a fully-automatic atoll communications service to over 140 islands in 20 atolls; the National Paging Service; fully-automatic telephone and telex Inmarsat service to ships and oil rigs; internet dial-up service; Web Hosting and Domain Name Registration service; Cyber Cafe, amongst a host of other services. The facilities are provided by Dhiraagu, the Maldives telecom company which is a joint venture between Cable & Wireless PLC of UK and the Maldives government. |
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