Like tiny jewels scattered across the azure blue of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is an archipelago of coral islands, barely rising few feet above the sea level. Pristine white sands, sparkling blue waters and tropical sunshine all year round sums up the Maldives to those who visit these islands.

Geography:    The Maldives are a group of coral atolls, 460 miles south west of Sri Lanka. It is one of the rare cases where the sea consists of most of the country. The total land area is 115 sq/km whereas the sea area is 41,500 sq/km. Geologically, the atolls lie on top of two submarine ridges that arise from a flat submarine plateau. The atolls vary in shape and size as do the islands themselves. The islands are extremely low-lying, the average being barely two meters above sea level. All the islands are coralline and there are no mountains, hills or rivers in the Maldives

Population: The population is 256,157 (1996)

History: The origins of the Maldives are to put it simply, unknown. Although there are archaeological indications that this islands might have been inhabited for over 5,000 years,

Language: The language of the Maldives is called Dhivehi. It is an indigenous language with a unique script known as "Thaana". However, English is fairly widely spoken and is used as the medium of instruction at schools.

Religion: The Maldives is a 100% Muslim country. Islam was introduced around A.D.800, and is practiced moderately.

Currency: The currency is known as Maldivian Rufiyaa. There are 100 Laari's in 1 Rufiyaa Approx.. exchange rates are US $ 1 = 12.75 Mrf and Sterling £ 1 = 18 Mrf.

Time: GMT +  5 hours 

Climate: There is very little change in the daily temperatures all year round. The average daily maximum is 30.4 Degrees Celsius and minimum is 25.4 Degrees Celsius.