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The Maldives
The
Maldives - a dream destination
famous for its beautiful white
beaches and breathtaking underwater
scenery.
Consisting of
1200 islands spread across the Indian Ocean and circled into 26
natural atolls boast rich cultural traditions, a history of
kings and queens, pageants, feasts and festivals, their own
language and script.
The Maldives Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, made
up of 1200 small coral Islands covers an area of 90,000 sq. km.
The length of
the country extends to 820 km and width is 130 km. It spreads
across the equator from north to south.
Geographically
it is divided into 19 atolls but for administrative purpose
officially it is grouped into 20 atolls. Most of the islands are
uninhabited and people are living only in 199 islands.
Total estimated population is 246 thousands. The
islands chain forms part of
Laccadive Chagos submarine ridge, which
extends into the Central part of Indian Ocean from the south
west coast of India.
Since 1978, his economic policies have transformed a cluster of
desert islands ringed by coral reefs into South Asia's most
exclusive holiday destination. Entire islands have been given
over to luxury hotel developments and tourism has become the
engine of the Maldivian economy.
With a per capita income of $2,280, the Maldives' population of
250,000 Sunni Muslims is now one of the wealthiest in the
region.
The Maldives is a democratic
republic with President Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom since 1978. He is South
Asia's longest serving ruler and
currently in his sixth term in
office. Although the Maldives does
not have a party system, a 1998
constitution gave citizens the right
to contest the vote for the
presidency in parliament.
During his 25 years in power, the
atoll nation in the Indian Ocean,
became the premier tourist
destination of the region. With its
near-flat islands, none of which is
more than six feet above sea level,
the sunny side of the Maldives has
remained a major tourist attraction.
India and Sri Lanka are the country's nearest neighbors.
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Maldives
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