Excerpts from : Hello Maldives 16th Edition Sept 2002

Maldives at a Glance

Area : 90,000 sq Kms(1190 islands)

Archipelago : Length;823 Kms, width : 130 Kms.

Total Number of Administrative Atolls : 19.

Largest Atoll : Huvadhu (Area 6486 sq miles).

Smallest Atoll : Gnaviyani ( Area 4.81 sq miles.)

Geographical Location : Indian Ocean.

Immediate Neighbours : India and Sri lanka (both located northeast of Maldives) Lakshwadeep islands (India) to the north, chagos Archipelago to the south, and the Seychelles to the southwest.

Latitude : (Degrees) 07 06'30'' N to 00 41 '48'' S.

Longitude : (Degrees) 72 32 30 E to 73 45 54 E.

Status : Republic.

Population : Approx. 2,70,000 (1998 estimate).

Capital : MALE' ( Area : 1.77 sq Kms)

Airport : Maldives International Airport on Hulule Island, two Kilometres east of male'.

Maldives Standard Time : +5 hrs GMT.

International Relations : UN and most of its specialised agencies, Commonwealth , OIC, the Non-Aligned Movement, and SAARC.

Religion : 100% Sunni Muslim.

Languages : Dhivehi is the national Language . English is widely spoken in business sectors.

Literacy Rate : 98.2% (Age group 10-45 yrs)

Temperature : 30.4 degree Celsius (Mean Max)
25.4 degree Celsius (Mean Mix)

Monsoons : South-West : May-October
North-East : November-April

Average Annual Rainfall : 1948.2mm.

Currency : Maldivian Rufiyaa (US$= Rf 12.75)

Electricity : 220-240 volts.

Working Hours : Banks:8 am- 1.30pm (Sun to Thu) Government Offices ;7.30 am-2.30pm (Sun to Thu), Fri and Sat holidays. Private Offices; Open between 8am an 10am and close between 6pm and 8pm, with a lunch break in between.

Credit Cards : American Express, Diners club, Euro card, JCB, Master Card, Visa.

Temperature : 30.4 degree C(Mean Max)

Major Industries : Tourism, fish canning , manufacture of garments, boat building and handicrafts.

National Tree : Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera)

National Flower : Pink Rose( Rosa pdyantha).

Clothing : Light weight cotton and liens.

Shopping : The capital Male' being the centre of commercial activity is the ideal place to shop. Shops open between 7.30 and 9.30 am, closing 11pm. On Fridays they open at 1.30 pm and closing as usual . All shops close for 15 minutes at every prayer time.

Entry : NO prior Visa arrangements are required . A tourist Visa of 30 days will be given to visitors with valid travel documents, on arrival. Visitors should be in possession of atleast US $ 25 per day of stay in the Maldives. For those coming from yellow fever infected regions, an international certificate of inoculation is required.