Geography
and population
The Maldives is an archipelago of low-lying
islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It stretches on
around 850 km from North to South from latitude 7º 6' 30"
N to just south of the equator 0º 42' 30" S. The width of
the archipelago is a lot less, around 120 km between longitude
72º 32' 30" E and 73º 46' 15" E. The archipelago comprises
1190 islands, which support some kind of vegetation, of which
200 are inhabited and 80 are developed as tourist resorts.
The local population, 100 % Muslim, is about 200 000 people
most of them living on the capital island, Male'. The local
language is Divehi, which is derived from Singalese, but has
its own script from right to left. 400 000 tourists come visiting
every year, making the tourist industry the major source of
income for the nation. Other important sectors of the industry
are fisheries, mostly the tuna fishery, and construction.
Climate
The Maldivian climate rather clement as the
archipelago is lying outside the cyclone belt. Temperature
is almost constant at 30°C all year round is dominated by
a monsoon cycle with two monsoons. The South-West monsoon
occurs between May and November and it is the roughest period
with stronger wind and heavier rain. The North-East monsoon
occurs between November and May and is the quietest, with
little winds and very little rain. This is due to the fetch
across the ocean for the clouds to gather water in both directions.
