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The Maldives or Maldive Islands, officially
Republic of Maldives, is an island country in the Indian Ocean formed by
a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south
direction off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and
Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred
kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka.
The atolls of Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000
square kilometers, making it one of the most disparate countries in the
world. It features 1,192 islets, of which two hundred are inhabited. The
Republic of Maldives's capital and largest city is Malé, with a
population of 103,693 (2006). It is located at the southern edge of
North Malé Atoll, in the Kaafu Atoll. It is also one of the
Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the
King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and
where the palace was located.
The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and area.
With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level,
it is the lowest country on the planet. It is also the country with the
lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).
The Maldives was largely terra incognita for tourists until the early
1970s. Strewn across the equator in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives
archipelago possesses an exceptionally unique geography as a small
island country. Nature has fragmented the archipelago into 1,190 tiny
islands that occupy a mere one per cent of its 90,000 km2 territory.
Only 185 islands are home to its 300,000 population, while the other
islands are used entirely for economic purposes of which tourism and
agriculture are the most dominant. Tourism accounts for 28% of GDP and
more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of
government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related
taxes.[citation needed] The development of tourism has fostered the
overall growth of the country's economy. It has created direct and
indirect employment and income generation opportunities in other related
industries. The first tourist resorts were opened in 1972 with Bandos
island resort and Kurumba Village.
Maldivian beach videoAccording to the Ministry of Tourism website, the
emergence of tourism in 1972 transformed the economy of the Maldives,
moving rapidly from the dependence on the fisheries sector to the
tourism sector. Just in three and a half decades, the industry has
become the main source of income and livelihood of the people of the
Maldives. Tourism is also the country's biggest foreign currency earner
and the single largest contributor to the GDP. Today, there are 89
resorts in the Maldives with a bed capacity of over 17,000, providing
world class facilities for tourists whose annual arrival figure exceeds
600,000.
The number of resorts has increased from 2 to 92 between 1972 and 2007.
As of 2007, over 8,380,000 tourists had visited Maldives.
Practically all visitors arrive at Malé International Airport, located
on Hulhulé Island right next to the capital Malé. The airport is served
by a wide array of flights to India, Sri Lanka, Dubai and major airports
in South-East Asia, as well as an increasing number of charters from
Europe. Many flights stop in Colombo (Sri Lanka) on the way.
Gan Airport, on the southern atoll of Addu, also serves an international
flight to Milan several times a week. |
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