The republic of Maldives is a splattering of low-lying islands just 4 feet 11 inches above sea level located in the Indian Ocean towards south-west of Srilanka and extends across the equator. The highest point is Vilingili Island in the Addu Atoll which is mere 7 feet 11 inches above sea level. It is the lowest country in the whole world. The 1190 islands form 26 extraordinarily beautiful atolls. Of them only 202 are inhabited and nearly 87 have been developed for tourist purposes. The exotic beauty of these islands has attracted good number of visitors to the island.
Over the years the appropriate tourist infrastructure has been developed transforming the islands into a dream holiday destination. The bewitching coral reefs and the multicolored nature in its hues and shades has entrapped the tourist attention to this these islands. It seems as if nature has carved these islands with its own hands. Each island is a gem in the Indian Ocean. It is a paradise for those looking for a laidback holiday with lots of sunshine punctuated with water sports.
No words are good enough to describe the natural beauty of a place. Exercise to describe the vibrant colors and shades of nature and the sparkling blue water of the lagoons is futile. Nature’s beauty is to be seen, felt and experienced. The coral atolls are spread over an area of 90,000 square km and offer its visitors a hoard of activities like Scuba diving, night fishing trips and windsurfing. Banana reef is the first diving spot which became famous in the whole world because of its varied marine life. It is in fact protected area. Apart from the coral reef dwellers like moray eels, jackfish and others, one can find predators like shark, gropers and barracudas. An activity which is extremely popular at banana reef is the deep sea fishing and snorkeling. The waters around Maldives have nearly 2000 species of fish of which 300 are reef fish. Seven species of these reef fish are specific to these waters and were not found anywhere else in the world.
Another famous dive site is the Fish Head in Ari atoll. It is also known as the Shark point. The sides are steep with a series of caves, and over hangs in which one can see black coral bushes and large gorgonians with thousands of blue line snappers which dart at lightening speeds.
There is much to see on the ground too. The national museum in the Edwardian colonial building has an amazing collection of artifacts. The president’s palace or Theemuge is one of the most impressive buildings of Male.
The Islamic Center is the most stunning architectural landmark which can be seen from a distance. The center has mosque with a capacity of 5000, a library, classrooms, offices and a conference hall.
There is a small gallery and artists work shop in the Esjehi gallery specifically for promoting and safeguarding the local art and craft.
An important fact that every visitor must remember is that import of alcohol into the Maldives is illegal.
