Description
The Maldives is an island country consisting of almost 1200 coral islands grouped together in a chain of 26 atolls lying north to south in the Indian Ocean. The country lies south-west of India and Sri Lanka. With an average ground level of under five feet it is the world’s lowest country. With the advent of global warming and rising sea levels, five feet do not offer much protection. Indeed in 2004 the tsunami, that afflicted the region, devastated the Maldives, leaving only nine islands free of flooding. But the islands are fantastic and there is a range of accommodation on many of these islands. There is almost no resort in the Maldives that does not have an amazing beach. Water sports can be excellent and the underwater marine life is incredible. The whole island group is named after its capital. The word ‘Maldives’ means ‘Islands of Male’. The capital Male literally absorbs all the land available on an island in the north Male Atoll.
The Maldives has a tropical monsoon climate affected by the vast landmass of South Asia to the north. Two seasons dominate the country’s weather. The dry season is associated with the north-eastern monsoon and the rainy season, which brings strong winds and storms. Hence the driest and best months for travel and tourism tend to be January through to April. Since tourism really opened up in the early 1970s, it has gradually become the mainstay of the economy, with fishing coming in second. The population of the Maldives is over 300,000 and less than 200 of the islands are inhabited. There are many foreigners living and working in the country, many of whom are Bangladeshis.
Every resort in the Maldives is its own private island and with over 100 to choose from, the only problem is deciding where to stay. These days the visitor is not restricted to staying in a resort. It is possible to travel from island to island using the national ferry service and stay in privately run guest-houses. However if the length of stay is fairly short, then perhaps residing in a resort of choice provides an individual Indian Ocean paradise. This movie concentrates on one resort island offering a great variety of water sport activities with easy speedboat access to and from the international airport and within a day’s excursion reach of the capital Male. Welcome to the Maldives, ‘the sunny side of life’.
Running time: approx. 25 mins.
Tags: Maldives, North Male Atoll Island, atoll,