domingo, 4 de abril de 2010

Welcome to Smart Maldives

The Pearls of Indian Ocean.




INTRODUCTION


The Maldives or Maldive Islands is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka.
It features 1,192 islets, of which two hundred are inhabited. The Maldives's capital and largest city is Malé, with a population of 103,693. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located.
The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and area, that´s why it is the lowest country on the planet.









CULTURE OF THE MALDIVES

Maldivian culture is heavily influenced by geographical proximity to Sri Lanka and southern India.
The official and common language is Dhivehi, an Indo-European language having some similarities with Elu, the ancient Sinhalese language. English is used widely in commerce and increasingly as the medium of instruction in government schools.
At present Sunni Islam is the official religion of the entire population, as adherence to it is required for citizenship.




ECONOMY OF THE MALDIVES

The Maldives provided enormous quantities of cowry shells, an international currency of the early ages. The cowry is now the symbol of the Maldives Monetary Authority.
Today, the Maldives' largest industry is tourism. Fishing is the second leading sector.
In late December 2004, the major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped the economy recover quickly .

FISHING INDUSTRY IN THE MALDIVES

For many centuries the Maldivian economy was entirely dependent on fishing and other marine products.
The mechanization of the traditional fishing boat called dhoni in 1974 was a major milestone in the development of the fisheries industry and the country's economy in general. Fish aggregating devices and navigational aids were located at various strategic points. It is also the second-largest foreign exchange earner after tourism.


AGRICULTURE AND COTTAGE INDUSTRIES

Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts.

TOURISM IN THE MALDIVES

the Maldives archipelago possesses an exceptionally unique geography. Nature has fragmented the archipelago into 1,190 tiny islands that occupy a mere one per cent of its 90,000 km2 territory. Only 185 islands are home to its 300,000 population, while the other islands are used entirely for economic purposes of which tourism and agriculture are the most dominant. The development of tourism has fostered the overall growth of the country's economy. The first tourist resorts were opened in 1972 with Bandos island resort and Kurumba Village.
Practically all visitors arrive at Malé International Airport, located on Hulhulé Island right next to the capital Malé. The airport is served by a wide array of flights to India, Sri Lanka, Dubai and major airports in South-East Asia, as well as an increasing number of charters from Europe. Many flights stop in Colombo (Sri Lanka) on the way.
Gan Airport, on the southern atoll of Addu, also serves an international flight to Milan several times a week.




TRANSPORTATION IN MALDIVES (GETTING AROUND)

Transportation in Maldives is one of the major concerns. But as a traveler, you really do not need to bother, because it is handled by your travel agent.
Most of the transportation is done through sea, because 99% of it is sea.
We use boats to travel fram islands to islands.





CLIMATE

The Indian Ocean has a great effect on the climate of the country by acting as a heat buffer, absorbing, storing, and slowly releasing the tropical heat. The temperature of Maldives ranges between 24 °C and 33 °C throughout the year.
Two seasons dominate Maldives' weather: the dry season and the rainy season brought the end of April to the end of October and brings strong winds and storms.
The annual rainfall averages 2,540 millimeters in the north and 3,810 millimeters in the south.

2004 TSUNAMI

On 26 December 2004, following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the Maldives were devastated by a tsunami. Only nine islands were reported to have escaped any flooding,while fifty-seven islands faced serious damage to critical infrastructure, fourteen islands had to be totally evacuated, and six islands were decimated. A further twenty-one resort islands were forced to shut down due to serious damage. The total damage was estimated at over 400 million dollars. A total of 108 people, including six foreigners, reportedly died in the tsunami.
FAUNA AND FLORA

Vegetation is limited there to a few plants such as shrubs, flowering plants, and small hedges. In the interior of the island, more vegetation such as mangrove and banyan grow. Coconut palms, the national tree, are able to grow almost everywhere on the islands and are integral to the lifestyle of the population.
The limited vegetation and land wildlife is supplemented by the abundance of marine life. The waters around the Maldives are abundant in rare species of biological and commercial value, with tuna fisheries being traditionally one of the main commercial resources of the country. The Maldives have an amazing diversity of sea life, with corals and over 2,000 species of fish, ranging from reef fish to reef sharks, moray eels, and a wide variety of rays: Manta rays; Stingray; and Eagle ray. The Maldivian waters are also home for the whale shark.


The perfect holiday destination.

Entertainment in Maldives
Something You Must Do

Entertainment in Maldives is quite limited in some extent due to some religious restrictions.
Some of the visitors may be quite addicted to bars and night clubs. But in Maldives, when I think of entertainment it is very different.
What I mean here is that, people visit Maldives to not just to enjoy, but also relax after a long working year.
There is two more things that I think you must do when your here.
· Diving
· Night Fishing
but there are more you could do, but I think if you want to see the beauty and our traditional or way of fishing, this is something you must experience.

Finally all they say about Maldives is that, this is "The sunny side of life". But for me this is "The Pearls of Indian Ocean."
Therefore I can surely say tha Maldives could be the perfect tropical holiday destination for you.





























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