2. BASIC INFO ABOUT MALDIVES
Maldives is a tropical nation in the Indian Ocean composed of 26 coral
atolls, which are made up of hundreds of islands.
Capital City: Male
President: Abdulla Yameen
Currency: Maldivian Rufiyaa
Population: around 345,023 people
Official Language: Dhivehi
3. WHY DOES MALDIVES RELY ON
TOURISM???
While tourism has been an enormous advantage for the Maldives,
the island nation remains poor. Its per capita income is only
approximately £1390 per year.
Agriculture is constrained by the lack of arable land. According to
the World Health Organization (WHO) the Maldives’ agricultural
sector produces only 10 percent of the food needed to feed its
population. The country is forced to import rice, its dietary staple,
from trading partners. It also imports wheat flour, sugar, dairy
products, and meat and eggs. The Maldives runs a negative trade
deficit, exceeding £ 12.5 million annually.
5. The National Museum may be a ferociously ugly building recently gifted
by China, but it nevertheless contains an excellent and well-labelled
collection of historic artefacts that serve to trace the unusual history of
these isolated islands. Sadly the museum was broken into by a mob of
religious extremists during protests against former President Nasheed in
2012, and its most precious items, some 30 ancient Buddhist coral stone
carvings from the country's pre-Islamic period, were destroyed for being
'idols'.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM
6. Located in front of the Friday mosque, Maldives Mulee Aage palace was built
in the year 1906. The credit for its construction goes to the Sultan Mohamed
Shamsuddeen III. It was before World War I that the Sultan built this palace
for his son. However, when the Sultan was overthrown in May 1936,
Muleeaage palace of Maldives was officially declared as the government's
property.
In 1953, when Maldives became a republic, Mulee Aage palace became the
President's Official Residence. It was later in the year 1986 that it was
renamed the Presidential Palace. However, in the present times, this colonial
style building serves as the office of president, where official meetings are
held. This spectacular building with its beautiful white carvings definitely
falls into the category of must visit tourist attraction destinations.
MULEE-AAGE PALACE
7. Hukuru Miskiiy is the oldest mosque in the country, dating from
1656. It’s a beautiful structure made from coral stone into which
intricate decoration and Quranic script have been carved. Even
though an ugly protective corrugated-iron sheet covers the roof and
some of the walls, this is still a fascinating place. The interior is
superb and famed for its fine lacquer work and elaborate
woodcarvings.
FRIDAY MOSQUE
8. Gan is the second largest island of the atoll, after Hithadhoo, and
measures 2.2561 square kilometres in area. Gan was formerly
inhabited, but its inhabitants were moved to neighboring islands after
the British naval and airbase was built. It has had continuous human
habitation since very ancient times. There were large cultivated fields of
yams, manioc and coconut trees on this island. A former havitta at
island's east end had to be removed to build the runway.
Gan has now a hotel catering for tourists and is connected by
GAN