Maldives Travel Guide for First Time Visitors
About
Maldives
The Republic of Maldives is an
archipelago consisting of 26 atolls situated in the Indian Ocean. The closest neighbors
of Maldives are India (595 km) to the north, Sri Lanka (670 km) to the
northeast and the Chagos Archipelago (550 km) directly to the south.
Ninety-nine percent of the
Maldives is made up of sea. In both land area and size, Maldives is the
smallest country in Asia. With an average ground level of 1.5m (4ft 11in),
Maldives is the lowest-lying country in the world. Its highest point, which
stands 2.3m (7ft 7in) above sea level is the world’s lowest naturally highest
point.
The people of the islands are
widely dispersed across the atolls. Only 200 islands are inhabited. About 90
islands are developed as tourist resorts and the rest are uninhabited or used
for agriculture and other livelihood purposes.
The capital city of Maldives is
Male’, which is also the most populous city in the country. The Maldives is a
100% Muslim country, making it the smallest Muslim country in the world.
Capital
- Male
Maldives
Gastronomy & Restaurant
The magnificent archipelago of
the Maldives is not only home to a myriad of magical tropical islands fringed
by white sandy beaches, swaying tropical palms and surrounded by gin-clear
waters teeming with marine life – it also offers some of the most delicious
cuisine in the region. Traditional Maldivian cuisine, also known as Dhivehi
cuisine, provides a wonderful variety of tastes and flavors, ranging from
crunchy snacks and street foods accompanied by wood-fired chapati bread to
complex and deliciously spicy curries.
The cuisine of the Maldives is a
rich assemblage of traditional flavors with strong influences from its
neighboring countries, such as India and Sri Lanka. In the past, Maldivians
depended on essential ingredients such as fish, coconuts, breadfruit, millet
and tubers, and over time, with the influence of foreigners from ancient trade
and travel, Maldivian cuisine developed a distinctive blend with its own unique
flavors, symbolizing a unique culinary identity.
Today, traditional Maldivian
cuisine is based on three main ingredients and their derivatives, namely
coconut, fish, and starches containing grains and vegetables. The delicious
food boasts a distinct tang made up of mild spiciness, delicate sweetness, and
an overall exotic taste, and is prepared using ancient cooking traditions that
have been passed down through the generations.
Maldives
Whether and Climate
The best time to visit the
Maldives is between November and April. The climate is warm and tropical, with
average highs at a consistent 29°C to 31°C year-round and average lows rarely
falling below 24°C.
Maldives is located on the
equator and therefore experiences monsoonal climate. There are two distinct
seasons, dry season (Northeast Monsoon) and wet season (Southwest Monsoon). In
these two seasons the temperature varies hardly. Northeast monsoon extends from
January to March. Since Maldives consists of small islands and are surrounded
by sea, hot days are often tempered by cooling sea breezes and balmy evening
temperatures.
Throughout the year, temperature
remains almost same in the Maldives. However, daily temperature ranges from
around 31 degrees Celsius in daytime to 23° Celsius in night time. The highest
temperature ever recorded in the Maldives was 36.8°C, recorded on 19 May 1991
at Kadhdhoo Meteorological Office. Likewise, the minimum temperature ever
recorded in the Maldives was 17.2°C, recorded at the National Meteorological
Centre on 11th April 1978.
Travel
Adaptors and Plugs
For the Maldives there are six
associated plug types, C, D, G, J, K and L, which are displayed below. The Maldives operates on a 230V supply
voltage and 50Hz.
Electricity supplies worldwide
can vary from anything between 100V and 240V. It can be extremely dangerous to
use an electrical appliance that is rated at a voltage different from the
supply.
As voltage can differ from
country to country, you may need to use a voltage converter or transformer
whilst in the Maldives. If the frequency is different, the normal operation of
an electrical appliance may also be affected. For example, a 50Hz clock may run
faster on a 60Hz electricity supply.
Most voltage converters and transformers come supplied with plug
adaptors, so you may not need to buy a separate travel adaptor.
Currency
of Maldives
The currency in Maldives is the
Maldivian Rufiyaa and is non-convertible, so it cannot be purchased in advance.
The currency is available in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5
Rufiyaa notes. You can carry the US Dollar and can be used within Maldives. You
can also exchange currency at the airport at the Bank of Maldives Foreign
Exchange counter, which is the only dedicated foreign exchange counter.
If you do use USD for
transactions, keep in mind that some businesses do not accept old or defaced
notes. Also, the change will be given back will be in Rufiyaa and not the
dollar. You can also use your credit or debit cards for transactions but will
be charged additional taxes on the same.
Location
and Geography
The Maldives lies in two rows of
atolls in the Indian Ocean, just across the equator. The country is made up of
about 1,190 coral islands formed around 26 natural ring-like atolls, spread
over 90,000 square kilometers. These atoll structures are formed upon a sharp
ridge rising from the ocean, thereby creating their world-wide uniqueness.
Each atoll in the Maldives is
made of a coral reef encircling a lagoon, with deep channels dividing the reef
ring. A string of islands take their places among this atoll ring; each island
has its own reef encircling the island lagoon. The reefs of the islands, alive
with countless underwater creatures and vibrant corals, protect the islands
from wind and the ocean waves. This unique structure of reefs and channels
makes navigation almost impossible for anybody without sufficient local
knowledge of the waters.
The islands stretch like a
garland for 822km from 7 degrees north of the Equator to just south of it, with
the greatest width from west to east being 130km. The territory embraces a
total area of 90,000 sq km but that includes the sea, which forms 99.6% of the
Maldives. The land area of all the islands amounts to 298 sq km.
The Maldives has no hills, but
some islands have dunes which can reach 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) above sea level,
like the NW coast of Hithadhoo (Seenu Atoll) in Addu Atoll. Islands are too
small to have rivers, but small lakes and marshes can be found in some of them.
The Maldives is world renowned for its underwater wildlife. Maldivian waters
are home to several ecosystems and harbour a variety of underwater flora and
fauna.
Time
Zone in Maldives
Maldives Standard Time is 5 hours
ahead Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+5).
Population
of Maldives
The current population of
Maldives is 543,896 as of Monday, November 9, 2020, based on Worldometer
elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
Maldives 2020 population is
estimated at 540,544 people at mid year according to UN data.
Maldives population is equivalent
to 0.01% of the total world population.
Maldives
Languages
The official Maldives language is
Dhivehi, which is sometimes referred to as Maldivian. While Dhivehi is spoken
throughout the country, also known as the Republic of the Maldives, as the
dominant language, other dialects also exist here, such as Malé (which is
actually the standard form of Maldivian and spoken in the capital city of the
Maldives), Mulaku, Huvadhu, Maliku, Haddhunmathee, Mulaku and Addu.
As the country is Islamic, Arabic
is also one of the languages in the Maldives, as it is the religious language
of Muslims and of the sacred Quran and Sunnah. It is taught as a religious
language in schools and mosques and most of the population has some familiarity
with Arabic.
While Dhivehi is the national
language of the Maldives, many Maldivians also speak and understand English.
French, German, Russian, Italian and Chinese are also widely used at the
resorts.
Shopping
Where and What?
The Maldives does not have many
large and luxurious malls. Centro Mall in Hulhumale island is a good place to
go for international brands, games and food and bite options, all under the
same roof. There are some supermarkets however which are frequented by locals
for their daily needs. These are the S.T.O Trade Centre, Red Wave and Agora in
Male, and a few others in other islands. Some of these have souvenir shops also
so you can drop by for some shopping in Maldives.
Almost all the shops remain
closed fully on Friday. On other days, you may find them closed for a short
while during prayer times.
Phone
and Emergencies in Maldives
Police: - 119
Fire: - 118
Ambulance: - 102
ADK Hospital - 313553
Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital -
336658
Comments