Located in the Indian Ocean of South Asia, the Maldives is an archipelagic country consisting of 19 groups of atolls and more than 1,200 coral islands, known as the "pearl of the Indian Ocean". The snow-white mop-tail beaches of Aozhen Island and the beautiful coral reefs in the shallow waters of Rasdhoo Atoll were once a gathering place for tourists thanks to the beautiful natural environment of the Maldives.
Ozhen Island
Rasdu Atoll
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we still can't feel these beauties in person, but the colorful plastic banknotes of the Maldives have made us feel as if we are there.
Most countries around the world use paper money, but the Maldives already uses plastic banknotes. The banknotes currently in circulation in the Maldives are called "Rafia", just like the natural beauty of the Maldives, the use of colors of The Rafia banknotes is also colorful, and its denominations range from 5 to 1000 in seven types.
Rufiyaa, Maldives
In this issue, we take a look at this highest denomination 1000 Rufiyaa plastic banknote in the Maldives printed by the British company DeNaro TDLR.
1000 Maldivian official language "Divihi" on Rafiyaa
Its substrate is taken from Safeguard, using Denaro's unique Mask™ hidden window function and Gemini™ two-color fluorescence function, as well as pearlescent ink IRIswitch@ rainbow features, which can be called a plastic banknote with strong anti-counterfeiting function.
Mask™ concealed windows
Positive opposition to the printing number 1000
Pearlescent inks IRIswitch@ rainbow characteristics
The main image of the 1000 Rafia front is the most common green sea turtle and ray in the Maldives, and the background pattern is a luxury tourist resort on the Maldives Island of Aozhen.
Ray on 1000 Lafia
There are currently only 7 species of sea turtles listed as endangered in the world, while as many as 5 species live in the Maldives, namely red sea turtles, green sea turtles, leatherback turtles, hawksbill turtles and tortoises. Among them, the green sea turtles on the 1000 Rafia are the most common.
Green sea turtles are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical depths within 50 meters of the water, adult sea turtles dorsal carapace length of 90 to 120 cm, weight up to 100 kg or more, the maximum lifespan of up to 150 years. It is named because its staple food, seaweed and algae, makes the body fat rich in chlorophyll, resulting in a pale green color of the body.
Adult green sea turtles have few major predators other than humans due to their large size, hard dorsal and ventral carapace, and fast swimming speed. However, in recent years, due to the impact of human activities, tens of thousands of green sea turtles die every year due to abnormal causes.
To save the green sea turtles, the Maldivian government issued a decree in June 1995 to protect the normal reproduction of green sea turtles. Saving endangered marine species has become one of the most important jobs in the Maldives.
In the Maldives, another marine animal that has also attracted the attention of the local government is the world's largest fish on the main image of the 1000 Rafia---- whale shark, which was listed on the IUCN Endangered Species List in 1998.
Whale sharks live in the middle and upper layers of warm, temperate oceanic regions, mainly distributed in the tropical and temperate seas in the range of about 30° to 35° north and south latitude. Usually 9-12 meters long, the largest scientifically recorded whale shark is 12.65 meters long and weighs 12.5 tons, equivalent to the length of a heavy container truck. Whale sharks have a long lifespan, reaching 70 to 100 years.
The surface of the whale shark is dotted with pale spots like a chessboard and a crisscrossing pale band of colors. It feeds on small animals and plants, has a mouth up to 1.5 meters wide, and 10 filters contain 300--350 rows of tiny teeth. The whale shark also has 5 pairs of giant gills, with two small eyes located in front of the flat head and gill fissures just behind the eyes.
The teeth of a whale shark
Whale sharks are often accompanied by small fish, called "pilot fish", which specialize in eating leftovers or food scraps in the mouth of whale sharks, and the two have reached a coexistence method.
Whale sharks have few natural predators, but their populations have declined dramatically in recent years due to human overfishing. As early as 1993, the Maldives began to issue a decree prohibiting the capture of whale sharks, and countries around the world have begun to introduce various whale shark protection measures.
Therefore, the printing of whale sharks and green sea turtles in the Highest Denomination of the Maldives currency of 1000 Rafia reflects the Importance of the Maldives to the protection of wild marine animals, and also reflects the Maldives' exploration and pursuit of sustainable human survival and development.