Island Maldives - Fast Facts

Fast Facts

Hundreds of small islands with lazily swaying coconut palms, dazzling white sandy beaches, crystalline lagoons in varying shades of blue, temperatures between 28 – 31 degrees Celsius. Could anything be closer to paradise? No wonder the Maldives is often referred to as paradise on Earth.

Location: Straddling the equator to the southwest of Sri Lanka between 7° 6' 35" and 0° 42' 24" south and between 72° 33' 19" and 73° 46' 13" east of Greenwich

Geography: An archipelago of 1,192 low lying small islands with flat terrain (average 1.2m above sea level) stretching 820 kilometres north to south and 120 kilometres east to west. Currently 202 islands are inhabited, 990 uninhabited and 87 are exclusive resort islands.

Climate: Generally warm and humid with year round sun shine and average temperatures of around 29 - 32 degrees Celsius.

Climate: T-shirts and other light cotton clothing are the most suitable. Nudity is forbidden in all areas and modest clothing of non-diaphanous material (especially for women) is recommended when visiting the capital Malé and other inhabited islands.

People: Though the origins of Maldivians are not quite known, they are inherently warm natured, friendly and hospitably people. According to history, the Maldives has been populated since before Christopher Columbus found the Americas.

Culture: Being located at an important crossroad in the Indian Ocean, visitors – often maritime traders have left their mark on the country’s traditions and cultures. Thus, the Maldives has a unique cultural identity that has traces of Indian, Sri Lankan, Arabian, Persian, Indonesian, Malaysian, and African cultural traits.

Language: The Maldives is perhaps the smallest population in the world that has an exclusive language with its own unique orthography – Dhivehi. However, English is widely used in commerce and education. Most of the people employed in the tourism sector are also competent in Italian, French, Spanish, German and Japanese

Economy: Tourism is the main industry, contributing close to 20% of the GDP. Fisheries and trade follow close behind. The Maldivian economy is regarded as exemplary in the region.

Currency: Maldivian currency is Rufiyaa (MRf) and Laari (L) (1 Rufiyaa – 100 Laaris). Rufiyaa bank notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500. Coins are in denominations of MRf 2, MRf 1 and 50 L. Payments of most hard cash currencies are accepted at all resorts and hotels.

Most commonly used Credit Cards are also accepted at most resorts and hotels. These include America Express, Visa, Master Card, Diners Club, JCB and Euro Card.

Education: The Maldives has the highest functional literacy rate in the South Asia and Indian Ocean region (98%). Maldivian schools follow the British system of education and education standards are also among the highest in the region. Though English language is used as the medium of instruction in most schools there are schools that provide Arabic and Islamic education specifically.

Health: There are health care institutions (of different capacities and ranges of services) in all inhabited islands. Many resorts have in-house doctors. A decompression chamber is within easy reach of most resorts in case of a diving emergency.

Local Time: National Local Time is GMT + 5 hours. However, most resorts have an additional hour of daylight saving and is therefore GMT +6 hours.

Local Business Hours: Local business hours are from Sunday to Thursday 7.30 - 14.30 in the government sector and generally from 9.00 to 5.00 in the private sector, although most offices in the private sector open for a half day on Saturday. Weekends are Fridays and Saturdays.

Communication: IDD and Internet facilities are available on all resorts and card phones are available on all inhabited islands. Mobile telephones (both prepaid and billing) are provided by the two telecommunication companies operating in the country.

Electricity: The electric system is 230-240 Volts -AC