|
GENERAL
INFORMATION ON THE MALDIVES
|
The
Republic of the Maldives is a chain of around 1200 islands
stretching 750km across the Indian Ocean with the northernmost island
at 7° 06" N and the southernmost island just crossing the
Equator at 04° 42" S.
The
exact number of islands varies according to the season and method of
classification - islands come and go with the wind, waves and currents!
The
tiny islands are geographically grouped into ring shaped reefs
called "atolls" and there are 26 of these atoll formations. |
An
atoll encloses a central lagoon with a flat, sandy bottom at a
relatively shallow depth of 40-100m. The outer reef, which forms many
of the islands, is often broken by deep channels that allow oceanic
water to flow into and out of the central lagoon. Inside the atoll
there are numerous smaller ring shaped reefs and tillas.
Of
the 1200 islands only 200 are inhabited by local Maldivian people,
88 islands have been developed as tourist resorts and the remaining
islands are uninhabited. Inhabited islands are either tourist resorts
or inhabited by locals and it is a Government ruling that there can
be no combination of the two.
While
there are 26 geographical atolls, tourists are most likely to see
just 11 of these as the Maldivian Government has taken steps to
restrict the impact of tourism on the local community. Tourists can
only be accommodated on registered tourist islands with quite strict
regulations governing tourist visits to uninhabited and fishing
islands. The tourist development area has been restricted to the
seven atolls of North Male, South Male, Ari, Felidhu, Baa, Lhaviyani
and Addu Atoll. In 1997 the Government announced the proposed
development of 14 new islands opening the atolls of Meemu, Faafu,
Dhaalu and Raa to tourism.
The
People
The
Maldives has been a crossroads for sea traders for many centuries
and the origin of the people of the country is mixed. Not much is
known of the early history of the island people but the language and
some archaeological finds of Buddhist relics indicate that the early
settlers were from the southern Indian continent and the Buddhist
Singalese from Sri Lanka. Now, of course, the Maldives population of
240,000 is entirely Muslim.
Today,
the Maldives is a democratic republic with President Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom at the helm. There is no party political system in the
Maldives: the citizens Majlis (parliament) comprises 48 members, two
elected from each atoll and eight nominated by the President. The
president himself is nominated by the citizens' Majlis and elected by
public referendum for a renewable five year period; the president
then appoints his own cabinet.
History
1153:
Islam was adopted after the visit of a Muslim saint
1513:
Male attacked by the Portuguese from their colony in Goa, India.
They built a fort in 1518. The Portuguese were thrown out shortly afterwards.
1558:
Male captured again by the Portuguese who remained there until they
were all killed by the Maldivian Hero, Muhammad Takurufanu.
1609:
Male was attacked by pirates who killed the Sultan and caused
considerable damage.
1631:
The Portuguese attempted to storm Male but failed and were driven
off with great losses.
1649:
Further attempt to take Male by Portuguese, driven off by heavy
cannon fire from the fort.
1752:
Male attacked by the Ali Raja of Malabar in a fleet of ships. After
setting fire to many of the buildings and ransacking the palace, the
pirates stayed for a few months until the Maldivians under the
leadership of Hassan Manikufanu threw them out. The Ali Raja
continued to lay siege to Male until eventually driven away with the
help of a fleet of French Men O'War under the command of Monsieur
Termellier. He was known with affection by the Maldivians as Moustri
Mili and is buried on Male.
1761:
A further assault by the fleet of Ali Raja which was beaten off by a
brave attack using "dhonis".
1818-19
A great famine occurred all over the islands and a massive tornado
struck devastating many islands, homes and boats.
1835:
The first survey of the islands was undertaken by the British
Admiralty under the command of Robert Moresby.
1887:
The Maldives and Great Britain signed an agreement which gave the
country the status of a protected state.
1932:
The first written constitution of the Maldives was proclaimed.
1953:
First Republic declared.
1953:
Republic dissolved and the Sultanate re-established
1965:
End of British agreement. Independence and entry into the United Nations.
1968:
Declaration of second republic
1976:
British complete withdrawal of all forces from the South of the country.
The
Climate
Being
in the monsoon belt of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives experience
quite a complex weather pattern although the temperature remains
fairly constant. Many people think of monsoons are periods of high
rainfall, but in fact the wind is the key factor.
There
are two seasons in the Maldives: a dry northeast monsoon (called
Iruvai by the Maldivians) and a wet southwest monsoon (hulhagu). From
May to November the prevailing winds are from the southwest and bring
an average of 215mm of rainfall and 208 hours of sunshine per month.
Around mid December the winds veer to the northeast and, with the
change in direction, bring a much drier climate. Rainfall averages
75mm (3in) per month in this season, the average monthly sunshine is
256 hours.
Maldivian
days are hot and humid throughout the year, with temperatures of
about 25-30º C (72-80º F) and humidities of 60-80%. There
is not much difference in terms of sunshine between the seasons but a
huge difference in the amount of rainfall – just as in any
tropical country. When it rains in the Maldives it rains hard and
usually for just a short time.
The
Maldives is sometimes affected by cyclones passing through the Bay
of Bengal; the most likely times for these are April/May and again in
October/November. However, these storms seldom pass close to the
Maldives and, when they do, the effects are generally short-lived.
The area either side of the equator is well known to mariners as the
Doldrums on account of its weak winds.
The
weather pattern has a strong influence on the currents. During the
northeast monsoon, ocean currents are driven through the atoll
channels from the northeast; conversely, during the southwest
monsoon, they flow into the atolls from the southwest. These patterns
have enormous significance for the diving and we discuss this in the
pages giving diving information. |
