05 Things You Didn’t Know About The Maldives – The Finer Details On Paradise

While the archipelago has been there for thousands of years, its worth as a holiday destination has been recognised only for the last 40 years. Until around the '70s when resorts first started to setup in the Maldives, the islands were secret destinations cherished by divers and surfers. Today the over 1000 island archipelago is occupied by some of the world's top resort chains, spread across private islands. Places like Grand Park Kodhipparu Maldives are fine examples of what holidays on the sunny oasis are about with the luxury Maldives villas in high demand amongst honeymooners and holidaymakers.

The archipelago consists of 1,200 islands clustered into 26 coral atolls; amazingly only a fifth of these islands, about 200, are occupied with a large number owned by the luxury resorts in the Maldives. Until very recently tourists could only explore their resort islands and the uninhabited ones, due to a ban on visiting the local islands. That's all in the past though, with some of the best attractions on an island hopping adventure in the Maldives experienced at the inhabited islands, which too in keeping up with the nation's growing tourism trade are now home to dive clubs, restaurants and shops.

And why not! As a nation made up of over 90% water, the Maldives under the leadership of then President Mohamed Nasheed hosted the world's first cabinet meeting on the oceans floor. The gesture was seen as a warning to rising sea levels and potential threats of the archipelago being swallowed up by the sea. The cabinet of 11 ministers signed a document that day, promising to cut down on carbon emissions.

The elusive whale shark classed as a fish and the largest is often spotted in the Indian Ocean surrounding the Maldives. The gentle giants attract a large number of divers eager to experience the marine life up close. The 20 foot long giants are harmless to people and survive on a healthy diet of plankton. The best places for spotting whale sharks are Rangali Island, the South Ari Atoll and the reef surrounding Sun Island.

Remember those stunning sun-bleached white sand beaches, when you get to the Maldives and sink your feet into the sand feel the softness and smooth texture. This is because while being the archipelagos most stunning feature, the beaches are very unique since they are made out of coral algae as opposed to most other beaches formed from quartz. Coralline beaches are very rare and only 5% of the world's beaches are made that way, so do appreciate and conserve this marvel of nature as you sit on that soft sand beach and bask under sunny skies on the magical archipelago of Maldives.