Maldives Travel Guide - Key Facts

A group of islands in the Indian Ocean, 500km (300 miles) southwest of the southern tip of India.

GMT + 5.

298 sq km (115 sq miles).

370,000 (CIA estimate 2007).

1,242 per sq km.

Malé. Population: 83,000 (UN estimate 2003).

The Republic of Maldives consists of about 1,190 low-lying coral islands, of which only 200 are inhabited. Most of the inhabited islands are covered by lush tropical vegetation and palm trees, while the numerous uninhabited islands, some of which are mere sand spits or coral tips, are covered in shrubs. Each island is surrounded by a reef enclosing a shallow lagoon. Hundreds of these islands together with other coral growth form an atoll, surrounding a lagoon. All the islands are low-lying, none more than 2m (7ft) above sea level.

Republic since 1965. Gained independence from the UK in 1965.

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom since 1978.

President Gayoom is Asia's longest-serving leader, re-elected for a record sixth five-year term in 2003, having first taken office in 1978. The Maldives has been relatively stable under his rule, despite attempted coups in the 1980s. Human rights groups accused Gayoom of running an autocratic state and anti-government violence flared in the streets. 

The Maldives was hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Homes and resorts were destroyed, and a major rebuilding programme was consequently put into place.

The country aims to hold its first multiparty elections by the end of 2008.

The national language is Dhivehi. English is widely used as a business language in government offices and the commercial sector. Other languages are widely used within tourist areas.

The indigenous population is almost entirely Sunni Muslim.

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Round-pin plugs are used, although square-pin plugs are now becoming more common.

The majority of the indigenous population does not mix with the tourist visitors, with the exception of those involved with tourism in the resorts and Malé. Dress is informal, but locals who are Muslim will be offended by nudity or scanty clothing in public places, and the government rigidly enforces these standards. Bikinis and other scanty beachwear are not acceptable in Malé or on any other inhabited island; they should be restricted to resort islands only. When entering a mosque, the legs and the body, but not the neck and the face, should be covered. Handshaking is the most common form of greeting. The indigenous population not involved in the tourist trade lives in isolated island communities maintaining almost total privacy. A large number of locals smoke, but smoking and eating during Ramadan is discouraged.