The Maldives has long been seen as one of the premier vacation destinations in the world – especially if you’re looking to take it easy and enjoy the warm tropical sun when on holiday. However, there’s a lot more to the islands – here’s a look at some amazing facts that make the Maldives the paradise it is.
The Exiled Prince
The first people to colonise the Maldives are believed to have come from India sometime around 269BC. It’s also believed that these colonisers were led by a Kalinga prince called Sri Soorudasaruna Adeettiya who had been exiled from his home country.
The Geography
The Maldives is actually an archipelago that’s made up of over 1190 different islands, some of which have Maldives private resorts on them, but many of which aren’t even inhabited. This is what makes the Maldives such a fascinating place to explore – you can island hop around all over and discover something new!
A Flat Nation
The Maldives has officially been recognised as the flattest country on the planet – it’s even been written down in the Guinness Book of World Records! On average, the found elevation here is just around 1.5 metres above sea level.
Building with Coral
While the Maldives is full of fun and excitement, something that it does lack is building materials. Wood and stone are hard to come by in these islands, therefore the local population resorted to something that’s found in abundance here – coral! You can still find structures like the Malé Friday Mosque that were built with beautiful coral designs.
