EXOTIC MALDIVES
Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and area. It is the planet's lowest
country. The Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887. The head of state and chief executive is the president elected by every 5 years by a pubic referendum. The Maldives is member of the U.N, the common wealth nations, the Asian Development Bank and several other UN bodies.The official language is Dhivehi which is unique to the Maldives. However, English is widely spoken by a majority of the people uses in business and commerce. For most of its history, the Maldives has been fortunate in being an independent country free from foreign domination, prior to becoming independent in 1965.
Etymology:
The name Maldives may derive Mahaldeep. During the colonial era, the Dutch refered to the country as Maldivische Eilander, which later came to known as Maldives which is the anglicised version of the local name used by British and people are Maldivian.
2004 Tsunami
On December 26th 2004,followed by the Indian Ocean earthquake, the Maldives was devasted by a tsunami.57 islands faced serious damage to infrastructure. A further 21 resorts islands were forced to close because of serious damage.
Geography and climate
Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls. It consists of coral reefs and sand bars.The weather in Maldives is affected by the large land mas of SOUTH ASIA to the north. The land mass causes heating of land and water . The Indian Ocean acts as a heat buffer absorbing , storing and slowly releasing the tropical heat. Temperature ranges between 24 degree C and 33 degree C throughout the year.
Marine Ecosystem
Maldives waters are the home to several ecosystems but best noted for its colourful coral reefs, home to 1100 species of fish and sea turtles.
