Winter is always close here and I should plan my long summer vacations long in advance. I am undecided right now where I should go, but I do my homeworks carefully. The blue sky and the clean water brought me close to the Maldives that I try to explore right now through words.
A world of islands and atolls
The Maldives are situated in two rows of atolls in the Indian Ocean, just across the equator. The country is made up of 1,190 coral islands formed around 26 natural rink-like atolls, spread over 90,000 square kilometers. These atoll structures are formed upon a sharp ridge rising from the ocean, making new way for their secluded uniqueness. In the center of this archipelago is situated Male, the capital city.
Ninety-nice percent of the Maldives is made up of sea. The people of the islands are widely dispersed across the atolls, with about 200 inhabited islands. About 100 islands are developed as tourist resorts and the rest are uninhabited or used for agriculture and other livelihood purposes.
Each atoll in the Maldives is made of a coral reef encircling a lagoon, with deep channels dividing the reef ring. A string of islands are disposed among this atoll ring; each island has its own reef encircling the island lagoon. The reefs of the islands, alive with countless types of underwater creatures and vibrant corals, protect the islands from wind and wave action of the surrounding oceans. The unique structure of reefs and channels makes navigation almost impossible for the passer-by without sufficient information.
The Culture of Maldives
The local culture is diverse, and reflects a lot of traditions and customer. The Maldives were populated for over 3,000 years. The first settlers were from the neighboring countries of Sri Lanka and Southern India.
The language spoken in the Maldives is called Dhivehi, a language close to the Sanskrit, that has various dialects especially in the southernmost atolls. The writing is called ‘Thaana’. The language was heavily influenced by the Arabic introduced as the language of the religion. Nowadays, English is widely spoken on the island.
How to make the reservation
As you may travel in a new place for the first time, the recommendation of the experts is to always try to work with tour operators and accredited travel agents. They may be helpful in:
– arranging room allotments at resorts, hotels and dicing safari boats
– consultation about which resort suit your needs, especially if you travel as a family
– arranging transfers and other details for conferences and business meetings
– establishing the details for ceremonial wedding packages or honeymoon/anniversaries offers
Ilana on the road 