FACTS ABOUT MALDIVES

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT MALDIVES

1.                 Maldives is officially known as the “Republic of Maldives”.

 

2.                 Malé is the capital city of Maldives.

3.                 The total population of Maldives is approximately 427,756.

4.                 The natives of Maldives are called Maldivians.

 

5.                 The Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) is official currency of Maldives.

 

6.                 Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls.

7.                 Maldives is a South Asian island country, located in the Indian Ocean.

 

8.                 Maldives is located southwest of India and Sri Lanka.

9.                 The constitution of Maldives states that only Muslims are allowed to be called citizens of the country. Any other faith apart from Islam is not allowed.

 

10.            Maldives is the lowest country in the world. Its ground level is averaged at 1.5 meters.

11.            In 2009, then Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed held an underwater cabinet meeting. Yes, you read is right! It was held at the bottom of the sea.

12.            The Maldives is the flattest country in the world, with an average altitude of 1.8 meters above sea level.

 

13.            The official language is Dhivehi.

 

14.            Maldives is the smallest nation in Asia.

 

15.            Maldives is also the smallest Muslim country in the world.

16.            The Malé Friday Mosque (also known as Malé Hukuru Miskiy) is the oldest mosque in the country, dating from 1656.

17.            The Malé Friday Mosque is a beautiful structure made from coral stone into which intricate decoration and Quranic script have been carved.

18.            The mosque was added to the tentative UNESCO World Heritage cultural list in 2008 as unique examples of sea-culture architecture.

19.            Non-Muslims wishing to see inside are supposed to get permission from an official of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

20.           The mosque is surrounded by a graveyard with carved coral tombstones, distinguishing males, females, sultans and their families by their distinctive shapes. Men’s tombstones have pointed tops; women’s tombstones have rounded tops, and family members have small mausoleums with intricately-decorated stone walls.

21.           There are several international banks with branches in Male, including the Bank of Ceylon, Habib Bank (a Pakistani multinational Bank) and the State Bank of India. The Bank of Maldives is also located in the capital.

22.            It is the 187^th largest country in the world in terms of land area.

 

23.            It is the 175^th largest country in the world in terms of population.

 

24.            It is the 11^th largest country in the world in terms of population density.

 

25.            The national tree of Maldives is Coconut Palm.

 

26.            The national flower of Maldives is Pink rose (Rosa Polyantha).

 

27.            The national bird of Maldives is White-breasted waterhen.

 

28.            The national animal of Maldives is Yellow fin tuna.

 

29.            Maldives is one of the safest travel destinations on the planet – the island resorts, specifically, since they are largely isolated.

 

30.            For the year 2008, Maldives was ranked as the Best Country Brand for Beach and Best Country Brand for Rest and Relaxation.

 

31.            Sharks of Maldives are very famous worldwide and attract thousands of divers to Maldives every year.

 

32.            More than 2,000 species of fish have been identified in the waters surrounding the Maldives.

 

33.            Maldives – like other Muslim countries – has its weekend on Friday and Saturday.

 

34.            The Maldives are ranked the world’s third most endangered nation due to flooding from climate change and global warming.

 

35.            The Maldives is home to five of the world’s seven species of marine turtles: the green turtle, the hawksbill, the olive ridley turtle, the loggerhead, and the leatherback turtle.

 

36.            Maldives Exports:  Fish

 

37.            Maldives Imports: petroleum products, clothing, intermediate and capital goods.

 

38.            The internet country code for Maldives is .mv

 

39.            The world’s first underwater cabinet meeting was held in Maldives.

 

40.            Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states.

41.            There is a beach in the Maldives that has a glowing blue tide at night.

42.            The world’s first undersea restaurant is in the Maldives.

43.            The Maldives has had the highest national divorce rate in the world for many decades.

44.            The citizens of the Maldives do not have to pay the visa fee to enter and stay in Bhutan.

45.            There is a 27.5-acre artificial island in the Maldives called “Thilafushi” that is made entirely a junkyard to dispose garbage.

46.            The Maldives is one of the two countries where “The Prince of Egypt” was banned because the depiction in the media of Islamic prophets like Mosses is forbidden in Islam.