The Maldives is undoubtedly one of the most popular beach destinations in the world and has always attracted tourists from all over the world. As a tropical paradise on Earth, this island nation is home to some incredible beaches and diverse marine life. This pearl of the Indian Ocean has a unique history, a beautiful culture and a welcoming people.
With a population of 557,000, the Maldives consists of a series of about 1,192 coral reef islands 820 km long from north to south and 120 km wide from east to west, comprising 26 atolls. The average land height is only 1.5 meters above sea level, which is one of the lowest in the country.
Another interesting fact about the Maldives is that it was actually founded by an exiled Indian prince. Sometime around 270 BC, an Indian prince was sent from the Kingdom of Kalinga to the islands of the Maldives. Sri Soorudasaruna Adeettiya is said to have been the first king of the island, then known as Dheva Maari, who founded the Adeetta dynasty in the Maldives.
The first recorded reference to the Maldives was in the writings of the Greek astronomer, mathematician and geographer Ptolemy in the second century, in which he referred to the 1378 small islands west of Sri Lanka, referring to the Maldives.
The population of the Maldives is predominantly made up of the Dhivehi, whose history and written records date back two thousand years.
Unlike China, the Maldives state does not recognize Saturday and Sunday as weekends, but instead recognizes Friday and Saturday. So don't be surprised when you see people working on Sundays.
Dhonis are traditional vessels of the Maldives that are today used not only for sea travel, but also for fishing. The shape of these ships is said to have been inspired by ancient Arab dhows, which were widely used as sailor ships in the Indian Ocean around the 11th century.
Beaches in the Maldives are white sand, not yellow sand. This is due to the fact that the sand on the beach is made of coral, not quartz like other kinds of sand. This sand is also very rare, accounting for only 5% of all beaches in the world.
In terms of biodiversity, the Maldives is a very diverse country. It is home to 5 of the world's 7 species of sea turtles: oliver-ridden sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, leatherback turtles, green sea turtles and hawk-billed turtles.
The Maldives is one of the few places on earth where the world's largest fish, the gorgeous whale shark, can be seen all year round.
Underwater Cabinet Meeting.
Yes, you heard it right. In 2009, President Mohammed Nasheed of maldives organized a meeting of all cabinet ministers on the seabed in order to raise awareness of the dangers facing the world's oceans and how humans can intervene in freshwater resources.
Under the Constitution of the Maldives, only Muslims can be called citizens of the country. Any faith other than Islam is not allowed.
Tourism is the largest industry in the Maldives, accounting for 20% of the country's GDP and 60% of the country's foreign exchange earnings.
Paradise Island is a very famous resort island in the Maldives, and the movie "After Sunset" was filmed on Paradise Island.
Sun Island is the largest leisure resort in the Maldives.
The Maldives' defence system is unique, with no army, no air force, no navy, no police and no maritime patrol, only a paramilitary national security guard.
The Persian merchant Suleiman, who once crossed the Indian Ocean, wrote: "There are nearly 1900 islands on this ocean called Herkend, and the ruler is a woman, and the wealth is uncountable." He also followed Zheng He's expedition to East Africa in 1433, where he confirmed in his coastal survey that merchant ships had come to the Maldives to trade and buy ropes here
China-Maldives Friendship Bridge (connecting Malé Island and Hulhumari Island in the Maldives. The bridge is 2.01 km long and opened to traffic on August 30, 2018.
The estimated cost of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is $210 million, of which $126 million is aided by the Chinese government.
With the global warming climate, melting snow and ice at the north and south poles and rising sea levels, the Maldives, with an average altitude of only 1.2 meters, may not be able to escape the fate of being submerged.
At the current rate of sea level rise, the Maldives will disappear completely in 100 years.
Text: Xiao Ao
I hope you can add, comment, like and bookmark.
We'll see you next time.