The outside of the Maldives looks calm and calm, and then in fact the country, which has an average elevation of only one meter, is facing an existential threat. At the World Climate Conference in Copenhagen in late 2009, Maldivian President Nasid pointed to the heart-wrenching truth that with just another 2 degrees Celsius of global temperatures, the Maldives would disappear from the planet.
Maldives is an island country located in the Indian Ocean of South Asia, is the smallest country in Asia, of the country's 90,000 square kilometers, 99.7% is the sea, even the only 300 square kilometers of land, but also in the geological movement by the zero chiseled into 1190 small islands, scattered on the sea, the largest of which is only 3 square kilometers, the smallest island only a pile of reefs, at any time may be swallowed by a huge wave.
The island, where the capital, Malé, is located, is the largest, but it is also less than 3 square kilometers.
▶ How did the world's largest coral kingdom come into being?
"Nature is the place where miracles are created." This phrase could not be more aptly applied to the Maldives. The 1190 small islands form 26 wonderful roundabout groups, like a bunch of beautiful garlands, the inside and outside of the ring are all seawater, and the sea water enclosed inside the ring is called 'lagoon', and the color is beautiful peacock blue, which is called "natural atoll group".
lagoon
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the Maldives was still a vast ocean, after several submarine volcanic eruptions, limestone exposed to the surface of the sea to accumulate into islands, after a longer geological activity, the center of the island collapsed, inadvertently forming a Group of Maldivian rings. Subsequently, polyps continue to gather around the reef, and these beautiful silent sea spirits have completely changed the stiff shape of thousands of reef islands with countless generations from birth to death.
coral reef
Corals make everything in the Maldives, so the country's citizens are protecting them in their own way, and every visitor to the sea is forbidden to take anything from the sea, whether coral or shellfish. Warning signs erected on the sea clearly indicate that even a small scallop belongs to the ocean. If you want to buy, you can only go to the designated store, and you must save the purchase ticket, otherwise you can't take it on the plane.
The sea is all that the Madai people have
▶In 50 years, the "paradise on earth" will disappear into the vast Indian Ocean
If you don't want to miss this heavenly coral kingdom, it's early, because, in 50 years, it will be gone. This is by no means alarmist, and scientists predict that as the entire Earth's climate warms and sea levels continue to rise, this beautiful island nation will be buried on the ocean floor as soon as 50 years later.
Hundreds of millions of years of geological movement have created today's paradise on earth
Hidden paradise
The Maldives is the lowest altitude country in the world, with an average altitude of only 1.2 meters in the country. In fact, as early as the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami, the world's largest coral island country was almost destroyed, 42% of the country's land was flooded, fortunately, the earthquake in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Maldives escaped the disaster.
Madai is the lowest country in the world
A few years ago, the Maldives became the first country in the world to open an embassy on a virtual island. It started out as a gimmick, but it could become a tragic reality in the next decade. Because rising sea levels will make the country no longer exist. Global greenhouse gas emissions are already putting the inhabitants of the Maldives in a difficult situation: as global warming causes sea levels rise enough to inundate entire islands, melting glaciers will make this worse.
The Maldives will not lose without a fight. However, leading climate models predict that in 2070, the island will no longer be habitable as sea levels rise. In 2050 or even 2030, the country will have an ambitious plan to fight back, which is to rebuild the island. But can the ocean obediently obey?
The island began as a series of volcanoes surrounded by coral reefs. After volcanoes collapse, sea levels begin to rise at the end of the last ice age, and they are gradually submerged, leaving only coral reefs at the end. These begin to rise continuously to stay warm, and eventually form a circular coral island surrounded by shallow lagoons. Over time, fragments and sand from corals piled up around the corals to form low-lying islands.
Today, 26 of these crater islands make up 1,196 islands in the Maldives. Of these, 200 are suitable for long-term living.
The Maldives' prosperity as a tropical resort will last for a long time.
Many of the islands are merely sandbars, coming and going with the flow. In fact, the locals call their country "Woden adhi Girun", which roughly translates to "the country that came and went without a trace".
Over the past 15 years, while coastal erosion and rising sea levels have meant that more and more islands will disappear forever. The rise in water levels, combined with the fact that corals are growing more slowly or fading to death due to rising water temperatures, has resulted in coral reefs not being able to shelter the island. As a result, winds and waves are rapidly eroding the island's coastline.
These changes have caused devastating damage to people. Roads and houses collapsed into the sea, coconut palms were washed away, groundwater was heavily polluted by seawater inversion, and many islands were no longer drinkable. Even resorts, which bring the country the third largest revenue, have been affected. "Some of the holiday homes had to be abandoned due to constant flooding. At the same time, beaches that were once used for sunbathing are a thing of the past. ”
Having been on holiday in the Maldives in 1999, said Sue Gregory from pasteur, UK.
To date, 20 islands have been abandoned, and some of its inhabitants have experienced through the 2004 tsunami what rising seawater means for the island. Kandholhudhoo Island was the hardest hit, with the highest tsunami wave head at 2.5 metres high. After the tsunami receded within minutes, 3 people died, there were almost no houses to live in, and the residents had to leave the island forever.
In 2004, the Maldives suffered a tsunami and suffered heavy losses.
Over time, although it is felt that recovery and reconstruction is no longer enough to save the Maldives. But bluepeace, a local NGO, believes the country needs to plan for the longer term. What they believe is really needed is a series of artificial islands scattered in the middle of the archipelago. Bluepeace suggested that the international commission support the seven islands through climate change compensation, which may allow the Maldives' population to grow more than it rises.
This idea is not entirely far-fetched. An artificial island called Hulhumalé was built along the northwestern direction of the capital and officially opened in 2004. Although its main purpose was to serve as a commercial port to reduce the pressure on the overcrowded capital, it was built at an altitude of more than 3 meters above sea level, enough to ensure that it lasted for a century.
The Nasheed government has no plans to build more islands like Hulhumalé, arguing that artificial islands will cost a lot of money to build. In fact, the islands adjacent to Hulhumalé are already eroding due to the agitation of natural currents. Still, this does not mean that sooner or later the sea will come too high and too often to be inhabited. Nasheed mortgaged a year's travel revenue to a "sovereign fund" so that the country could buy land elsewhere in the world when the critical moment came. Some say the idea is unrealistic, but it's a must for those avoiding becoming climate refugees.
Whatever the final solution, the fate of the Maldives is in the hands of the rest of the world. The exhaust gases we emit, where we choose to spend our hard-earned money, all have the potential to succeed or fail in this country on the planet that is also on the lowest sea level.
▶ "Up-to-ceiling" islands
The first transformed island in the Maldives, Dhuvaafaru Island
While restoring the natural resistance of the islands, the Government of Maldives is also embarking on the relocation of tsunami-threatened populations to the heartlands of previously unexplored islands. Dhuvaafaru, the first island to be remodeled, welcomed its first inhabitants in March this year. Formerly an uninhabitable forest, the island has been transformed to accommodate 4,000 survivors from Kandholhudhoo Island. The 2004 tsunami made Kandholhudhoo Island no longer habitable. With these newly built spacious houses, the island also has a representative community center. It was built on a group of stone pillars and was large enough to shelter all the inhabitants of the island in the midst of a huge wave tsunami.
▶ How long will the Maldives survive?
Regions of the world that are vulnerable to sea-level rise
The Maldives is the lowest-lying country in the world: 80% of the islands are less than 1 metre above sea level, while the highest is only 2.3 metres. Obviously, even a small sea-level rise is bad news for this low-lying island, but predicting when the archipelago will become uninhabitable is not so simple.
Over the past 25 years, sea levels have risen by an average of 52 millimeters. This is largely attributable to the thermal expansion of water. We know that global warming is inextricably linked to rising sea levels. Some scientists worry that melting glaciers are the main cause of global warming. "How these factors affect regional sea level rise is unknown." Steve monitoring sea level rise
Nerem said.
While we waited for the data, we saw a row of different models that were all predictions about when sea level would gobble up the Maldives. In recent assessments, the Climate Change Government Aid Group is expected to rise by 59 centimetres by the end of 2100, not counting the melting of glaciers. On the other hand, NASA James
Hansen's group predicts that global sea levels will rise by 25 centimeters by 2100, assuming that the feedback mechanism will accelerate the melting of Greenland and Antarctica. There are also many conservative reasoning without feedback mechanisms, such as Stefan at the Potsdam Research Center in Germany
Rahmstorf's inference that sea levels will rise by 1.4 meters by 2100.
All these predictions do not make the Maldives optimistic at all. "Even a meter up is enough to swallow the island," Nerem said.
▶ Maldives major island
▷ Paradise Island
Paradise Island is a very famous resort island in the Maldives and falls in the sixth rank of Maldivian islands.
Paradise Island is located on north Male North Atoll, approximately 9.6km² from Male International Airport and the capital Male City. The total length of the island is 931m, the width is 250m, and it will not take more than an hour to walk around. The movie "After the Sunset" was filmed on Paradise Island.
Surrounded by the sea, Paradise Island is surrounded by the beautiful Indian Ocean, where you can easily enjoy the splendid sunbathing and admire the amazing and rare seabed creatures and corals. Enjoy the paradise that nature has given us.
▷ Sun Island
Sun Island is the largest leisure resort in the Maldives, 4 hours by boat from Malé. The island is said to be millions of years old. The island is full of flowers, birds chirping, and tropical plants grow freely. The hotel rooms are scattered in this pristine tropical jungle.
Lie under the fruit-laden coconut trees and enjoy the sound of the sea. Sun Island Sea Chalet, as the name suggests, is built in the sea and is completely surrounded by the sea. They have balconies where you can relax with a book in the tropical sun and avoid the hustle and bustle of the public beach. There is also an escalator on the balcony that leads directly to the sea, so if you want, you can always go down to the sea and be a free fish. Lie on the white sand, let the sun caress, listen to the rising and falling tide of the sea and the rustle of palm trees blown by the wind. It would be even more perfect if you had a beloved little book to accompany you.
You can also snorkel and watch the beautiful fish swimming leisurely around. Dive deep, descend into the 20-meter-deep sea, get up close and personal with the colorful underwater creatures, and explore the mysteries of the marine world.
▷ Laguna Island
Laguna Island is the filming location of the movies "Youth Coral Island" and "Back to the Blue Coral Reef", so the animation on the island is particularly colorful, of course, more of a non-cannibalistic fireworks feeling. The welcome boat takes visitors from Ki Airport to Laguna Island in The South Atoll of Malignan, entering through the gap behind the island, the color of the sea changes from dark blue to light blue to light green, this Laguna Island is like palm trees swaying in the blue waters.
Step on your feet with the fine yarn that surrounds the entire island, watch the waves lapping at the shore, and enjoy the time. On this blue-gold horizon, the turquoise lagoon forms a beautiful tropical landscape. In this elegant and casual atmosphere, visitors can enjoy a vacation that is like isolation. With the highest degree of privacy and tranquility, sea and sky come together, it is a blue peach blossom resort island.
The world of hotels is quite exquisite, from the main building to the beachfront cottages, water luxury suites, swimming pools, lounge pavilions, etc., all of which have been planned as a whole, giving people a visual sense of unity. Although LAGUNA is unique, the design of the beachfront holiday cottage is delicate and exquisite, retaining the civilized color, well-equipped and elegant, giving people the comfort of being in their own home.
▷ Kearney Island
The back garden of the honeymoon paradise, this side is a cold winter day, but looking forward to a hot summer. No, the ClubMed Kearney Island Resort, which was rebuilt after the tsunami, opened lively, and the storm could not extinguish her fiery enthusiasm, this originally cold winter, with the Kani Island trip, the cold winter also became a hot summer vacation, and became the first choice for honeymoon travel.
I once saw an advertisement, in the turquoise water scattered a green island, green and surrounded by a circle of snow white sand, outside the beach is a circle of if there is no light blue, light blue and then outside, is the jewel-like dark blue ... , time and beauty so unreal place? Later, I learned that this pure land, known as "the last Shangri-La on earth", is located in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
Multiple small coral islands make up this wonderful island nation without urban gratitude. From the moment you set foot on The Island of Carney, it seems that you have really walked into the back garden of paradise, and everything is so natural and beautiful that it cannot be described in words.
▷ Neverland
Neverland means crystal white sand. This resort is a small island owned by itself, blending with nature with its beautiful tropical flair, unique and authentic Maldivan architectural style. Neverland staff will help you achieve your wishes with their enthusiasm and friendliness. Among the resorts you come into contact with, Neverland has the best rooms, equipped with a variety of amenities, and the rooms and facilities are designed according to the various needs of tourists from all over the world. Neverland Beach is famous for the village of Tari, a world-famous surfing resort and island with the privilege of hosting a world surfing competition.
▷ Platinum Island
Hudhuran Fushi is in the North Male Islands, 26 km from Malé. The derivative word Hudhu means "white", "Ran" means "gold", and Hudhuran Fushi is also known as "Platinum Island". Surrounded by lush palm trees, Platinum Island can be seen in many different species of tropical fauna and plants.
▷ Ayada Island
Ayada Island is located on Kafu Daru Atoll in the Maldives. Covering an area of 15 hectares and covered with natural native vegetation, the resort continues to present visitors with a Maldivian atmosphere throughout the year. From the moment you get off your plane and set foot on Ayada Island, a resort with a unique sense of luxury appears before your eyes. Lie on the balcony with pool suite and by the pool, enjoy the sapphire-like ocean and experience the infinite mood of Ayada Island.
▷ Hakula Island
Located in Mae Mulla Atoll, Hakula Island is the first resort established within the atoll, 130km² from the capital City of Male, surrounded by a pollution-free environment, with crystal clear waters and lush woods, plus many nearby coral reef dive sites, which can be engaged in diving and water activities. Coral Island itself is a long-shaped island, an extremely clear lake with lush vegetation, a paradise for a holiday that leaves people with the best memories.