Maldives guide
Beguiling Isles
Anyone who has ever dreamed of escaping to a tropical island basking in year-round sunshine, surrounded by sparkling white, palm-fringed beaches and turquoise seas will find that the real thing exists in abundance in the Maldives. For this chain of more than 1000 coral islands strung out across the Indian Ocean consists entirely of serious contenders for the title of paradise.
The first-and best-view that most visitors get is from the air as they approach the capital, Male. The islands are arranged in clusters of atolls, a word that the Maldivian language has given to English. Heart-shaped, circular, oblong, they appear as spectacular explosions of green, turquoise and aquamarine in the dark-blue waters of the deep ocean.
Up close, you realise that the islands are little more than palm-covered sandbanks. The Republic of Maldives, to use its formal name, is one of the lowest-lying countries on earth. The highest peak in the land is but 2 m (6.5 ft) above sea level, and it is only the presence of barrier reefs surrounding the atolls that prevents the Maldives from disappearing beneath the waves.
It might seem remarkable that they exist at all, given their isolated setting in the vast ocean. In fact, each island is a coral-encrusted summit of a range of submerged volcanoes stretching from just off the Indian sub-continent to south of the equator. It's an intriguing thought that as you lie on the beach soaking up the sun, you are actually perched on top of a huge mountain. You will soon discover that there's often more to the island nation than appears on its tranquil surface.
Perhaps it's not surprising that in a country where more than 99.5% of the territory is water, the sea plays a pivotal role in the lives of the inhabitants. This is truly a nation of boatmen, and whether their distinctive traditional Maldivian craft-called dhonis-are being used to navigate the treacherous reefs as water-taxis or for all-important daily fishing expeditions, Maldivians have long been renowned for their nautical skills.
A population of 320,000 is scattered across 200 of the islands but has remained surprisingly close-knit. The Maldivian people share a highly individual and homogeneous culture, cemented together by a common language, Dhivehi, and a common religion, Islam. One thing that impresses visitors is the genuine friendliness and courtesy of the islanders. Although they are as peaceable a people as you are ever likely to find, Maldivians remain fiercely independent.
Tourism began in the Maldives as recently as 1972, when two fairly basic resorts were opened at Kurumba and Bandos Island. There are over 90 resorts now, with more planned. Constant upgrading makes a stay at any one of them never less than a lesson in relaxation. Each resort is self-contained on its own "uninhabited" island and, apart from organized island-hopping, there is no independent ferry service for you to escape on. But lucky Robinson Crusoes usually see little reason to try. The restaurants are always bountiful, the sun shines on average for eight hours every day of the year, and the ocean is famous the world over for the wondrous underwater sights within easy reach of every resort.
