MALDIVES
MALDIVES Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean Arabian Sea area.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: It is consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between Minicoy Island (the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, and the capital, Malé, is about 600 kilometres (370 mi) south-west of India and 750 kilometres (470 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka.
ORIGIN & MEANING OF NAME: The name Maldives may derive from Sanskrit Mala means garland and Dvipa means island, Maala Divaina becomes "Necklace Islands" in Sinhala. Also, the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle Mahawamsa refers to an island called Mahiladiva ("Island of Women", मह ल ह भ) in Pali, which is probably a mistranslation of the same Sanskrit word meaning "garland".
DEMOGRAPHICS: Capital : Male Area : 298 km2 Official languages : Maldivian (Dhivehi) Religion : Islam Government : Unitary presidential constitutional republic - President : Abdulla Yameen - Vice President : Mohamed Jameel Ahmed Population : 393,500 (July 2013 estimate) Currency : Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) (1 MVR= 4.07 INR) Education: Literacy rate: 98.4%
ECONOMY: GDP :$1.944 billion GDP growth:7.4% (2011 est.) GDP by sector: Agriculture (5.6%), Industry (16.9%), Services (77.5%) (2009 est.) The Mixed economy of the Maldives is based on the principal activities of tourism, fishing and shipping.
ATTRACTIONS OF MALDIVES- 1.Bluetribe Moofushi- Bluetribe Moofushi diving center offers the best experience in terms of water sports activities such as windsurfing, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, riding on catamarans/pedal boats, and many more activities. Moofushi is also known for the excursions that it offers, where you can spot whale sharks, manta rays and a lot of fish from the shore.
2. SUN ISLAND RESORT AND SPA- Second best is the Sun Island Resort and Spa located on South Ari Atoll. Its exotic tropical flowers, beautiful greenery, and the stunning lagoons would capture your heart.
3. ALIMATHA ISLAND It is a complete Maldivian destination for tourists, as it offers world-class diving, aquarium-like snorkeling as well as a central beach complete with great facilities.
4. MANTA POINT- Manta Point is a diving area where you can enjoy seeing large numbers of manta rays being fed and cleaned by wrasses. Manta rays circle several large coral rocks, and wait their turn to be cleaned.
5. BANANA REEF- It is called Banana Reef because it has the shape of a banana that extends 300 meters from north to south. The major feature of the reef is its marine life, where you can find Napoleon Wrasse, Moray Eels and the rare Bannerfish.
6. UTHEEMU GANDUVARU It is a historical residence where Sultan Mohamed Thankurufaan lived. This historical site is located in Utheemu, which is an inhabited island in the north of Maldives. Mohamed Thankurufaan is considered one of the heroes of the Maldives, and earned high respects from the Maldivians for his heroic actions and for saving his people from the Portuguese conquerors.
7. BIYADHOO ISLAND RESORT- It is a peaceful resort and considered one of the best reef houses in the Maldives PADI Dive Center. The island offers a variety of water sports from diving, snorkeling and many others. There are more than 35 diving spots available in the area, and you can dive in different ways depending on weather conditions and currents.
8. HUKURU MISKIIY (OLD FRIDAY MOSQUE)- Also known as the Old Friday Mosque. It is the oldest mosque that can be found on the island. The interior of the mosque is superb, and its coral stone walls with carvings of different kinds of patterns and Arabic scripts is truly remarkable. It also houses tombs that have been erected for the memory of sultans, heroes and nobles.
9. NATIONAL MUSEUM- The building houses a lot of different kinds of historical artifacts that reflect the history of the country. The original museum was the old 3-story museum that is the only remaining part of the Maldivian Royal Palace.
10. HP REEF- HP Reef, which is one of the best diving sites where you can explore different kinds of superb coral reef formations and colorful fish underwater. It is a marine protected area located at the North Male Atoll.
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