Backpacking Maldives

Time zone (UTC+5)
Drives on the left
ISO 3166 code MV
Internet TLD .mv
Calling code 960

Language: Own language, “Dhivehi”

People: Politeness is the unique features of the people

Location: Indian Ocean, about 500 Km from Sri Lanka and India. Political Status: Independent Republic with modern democracy

Population: 3000,000 (approx.) Religion: Islam

Geography: Group of coral islands set into major 26 atolls with border reefs,1,190 (Uninhabited and inhabited islands) / about 200 inhabited islands, 87 are exclusive resort islands and the rest uninhabited

Climate: Tropical, Average temp. 30-32 deg. C

Access: Scheduled and charter flights from Europe, Middle East, Asia, US and S. Africa

Visa: FREE 30-day tourist visa on arrival

Customs: illicit drugs, pornography, firearms, alcohol, dangerous animals are prohibited to

Alcoholic Beverage: Served in the Resort Hotels, Cruise boat. The Maldives (/ˈmɒldaɪvz/ ( listen) or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ , Dhivehi Raa'je), officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation 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 kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka and (250 mi) south-west of India

This chain of islands is the centrally located archipelago among the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group of islands, which are in reality the tops of a vast undersea submarine mountain range, in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.[6] The atolls of the Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most dispersed countries in the world in geographic terms. It features 1,192 islets, of which two hundred are inhabited.[7] 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 are the smallest Asian country in both population and land 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.[8] It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).[8]