Joanna James
Often cited as a romantic destination, the Maldives is comprised of 1,200 coral islands and 26 atolls. Apart from its marine life and cuisine, there are a few facts that are not very obvious.
Given that the country is a popular travel destination, many people don't believe or stop to assume that alcohol is prohibited in the Maldives – but it is a blanket statement; tourists can consume liquor at Maldives luxury villas and hotels – an example would be Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives. However, you need to make sure that you don't get caught with alcohol on your person.
The country was first inhabited by people from India, but the popular belief is that the first kingdom of the Maldives was established by the exiled prince Sro Soorudasaruna Adeettiya; the son of king Kalinga.
You'd be surprised to know that the first underwater meeting about CO2 emission was held in the Maldives, it makes logical sense as the Maldives would be severely affected by the rising sea level. Government personnel and the president rigged themselves with scuba gear and went underwater to hold the meeting.
It is impossible to find someone illiterate in the Maldives. Both females and males above the age of 15 can read and write. The overall literacy rate is an impressive 99% with the female percentage being 98.8% and the male being 99.8%.
The typical sand you find on other beaches are made of quartz, but not the sand found on Maldives beaches. The beach sand found in the Maldives are made of corals: the work of parrotfish and polyps grown on the corals – the parrotfish nibbles away at the corals trying to eat seaweed off the corals. Generally, the normal beach sand heats up with the temperature, but this coralline sand does not do that which makes for an extremely comfortable walk even in the stifling sun.
Due to this very fact, the Maldives is highly threatened by the rising sea level. In terms of elevation, the country is at the bottom-most. The Maldives is facing the risk of being completely submerged if the increasing sea level doesn't come to a halt.
Your weekend is not considered the weekend by Maldivians. Instead of Saturday and Sunday, they enjoy Friday and Saturday as the weekend. The work schedules usually begin on Sunday. There isn't much happening in the country on Fridays, and you won't enjoy the convenience of public transport as much as you would on other days.
The Maldives beaches are strewn with coconut trees providing the necessary shade in the scorching heat. In addition to making the heat bearable, the coconut tree has many other uses for Maldivians, one of the uses is the provision of material for the dhonis – the wood is used to build the multi-purpose boat. It is believed that the green on the Maldivian flag represents the coconut tree.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
