Travel Facts of Maldives
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Location
 Coral
islands, grouped into atolls, stretch along the 73rd meridian between
latitudes 0 42' south and 8 10' north, for a distance of 468.3 miles
(753.6 km), with a width of 73.4 (118.1 km) from east to west. The Shortest
distance from the mainland of India is 217 miles (350 km) and from Sri
Lanka 460 miles (740 km). Indian Ocean, near India and Sri Lanka.
Latitude 07° 06'30" N to 00° 41'48"
S.
Longitude 72° 32'30" E to 73° 45'54"
E.
Capital
Malé
Male' the capital island has an area of 1.77 sq.km
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Government Type:
republic
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Population
214,139 (1990)
260,000 (1997 official estimate).
Population in the capital Male' was 58,000 in 1990.
Annual population increase is 3.8%
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Area
total: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 300 sq km
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Currency:
rufiyaa (MVR)
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Time
Maldives Standard Time
+5 hrs GMT ( 5 hours ahead of GMT )
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National Day:
Independence Day, 26 July (1965) |
Country Code
60
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Language
Dhivehi and English. Dhivehi, an indigenous language spoken only in
the Maldives. The script is called "Thaana". English is the
main taught language at schools. Most people in Male and tourist resorts
speak English.
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Religion
100% Sunni Muslim.
Maldives is perhaps the only country with a 100% Muslim population.
Islam was introduced around A.D.800, and the moderate form practiced
in Maldives has remained virtually unchanged.
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Environment:
depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea
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Climate
tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
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