Interesting And Fun Facts About Maldives
Maldives, also known officially as the Republic of Maldives, is an Asian country which is located in the Indian Ocean. The country has an area of 298 square km Its official language is Maldivian (Dhivehi) and its official currency is Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR). Do you know that the first underwater cabinet meeting in the world was held in this island nation by their president.? There are many other things to know about the Maldives, read further to discover more facts about this beautiful island country.
1. The sun rays in Maldives get sprinkled at a 90-degree angle because the country sits at the equator.
2. Although Maldives is one of the top honeymoon destinations, this country has a very high divorce rate, almost twice that of the US.
3. In Maldives, some of the world’s largest whale sharks live there, so there’s an abundance of shark tourism.
4. Fisheries is the second-largest foreign exchange earner after tourism in Maldives as of 2010.
5. The first underwater cabinet meeting in the world was held in this island nation by their president.
6. Maldives is one of the safest places on earth since the crime rate there is very low compared to other popular countries.
7. Some of the islands in Maldives, such as the Hulhumale Island are man-made.
8. Except on private beaches, it is prohibited to drink alcohol and display public attention in Maldives.
9. The coconut trees that are found on the beaches of Maldives live long and have an average age of hundred years.
10. The Hukuru Miskiy, which was constructed in 1656 is the oldest mosque that was built in Maldives.
11. Maldives have come a long way, and as of the 1970s, the country was one of the world’s poorest countries.
12. About twenty-eight percent of the GDP and sixty percent of the foreign exchange receipts of Maldives come from tourism.
13. About sixteen percent of the people living in this island country are foreigners.
14. The first tourist resort that was established in Maldives was in 1972 at Bandos Island.
15. Between 1972 and 2007, the tourist resorts in Maldives increased from two to eighty-nine with over 600,000 visitors annually.
16. There are about six coral mosques in Maldives that are listed as tentative sites by UNESCO.
17. The Visa Policy of Maldives doesn’t require one to have a visa pre-arrival, so long as they have a valid passport and proof of onward travel and finance.
18. More than ninety percent of the government tax revenue comes from tourism-related taxes and import duties.
19. In 2019, more than 1.7 million people came to Maldives as visitors to explore the island country.
20. British Airways offers the service of direct visits to Maldives about two to three times a week.
21. For many centuries, the economy of this island country depended solely on the fishing industry.
22. About thirty percent of the workforce in Maldives and fifteen percent of the GDP comes from the fishing industry as of 2010.
23. Although Maldives was originally concentrated with Buddhists, Islam was introduced in the country in the mid-twelfth century.
24. The common and official language of Maldives is Dhivehi, an Indo-Aryan language.
25. Interestingly, the largest ethnic group that is in Maldives is the Dhivehin ethnic group.
26. The island of Giraavaru was evacuated in 1968 because of heavy erosion of the island.
27. According to the Population and Housing Census, the population of Maldives as of 2014 was 437,535.
28. Islam is the official religion of the entire population of Maldives, and one must identify it as a requirement for citizenship.
29. The present government of the Maldives is a Unitary presidential constitutional Republic and is headed by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
30. Maldives got independence from the United Kingdom on the 26th of July 1965.
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31. The classification of Maldives economy according to the World Bank is that of the upper-middle-income economy.
32. Maldives is the world’s lowest-lying country with an average ground-level elevation of 1.5 meters and the highest elevation of 5.1 meters.
33. The Human Development Index of Maldives is very high compared to other SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries.
34. Maldives is one of the founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
35. Maldives is located on the vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean, known as the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge.
36. Maldives is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement.
37. Maldives has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1982, although they stopped being members in 2016 and rejoined in 2020.
38. The Maldives National University is one of the higher education institutions that the county has.
39. The forerunner of the Faculty of Health Sciences in Maldives is the Allied Health Services Training Centre which was established in 1973.
40. The official currency of Maldives is Maldivian rufiyaa (MVRR) and its time zone is UTC+5 (Maldives Time).
41. The principal gateway to this island country is the Velana International Airport.
42. According to the World Bank, as of 2017, about 63.2% of the population of Maldives makes use of the internet.
43. Inflation in Maldives increased by 2.3 percent in 2020 and people living below the poverty line make up 8.2 percent of the population as of 2016.
44. The Labour force of Maldives increased to 278,813 in 2019 and has about a 54.1% employment rate as of 2016.
45. As of 2019, the main import partners of Maldives were 23.5% Thailand, 12.6% US, 12% China, 11.1% France, and 10.5% Germany.
46. The foreign reserves of Maldives are estimated to be around $540 million as of 2016.
47. Among the 1,190 islands that are found in Maldives, only about 198 of them are inhabited.
48. The industrial sector of Maldives only provides about seven percent of the GDP of the country.
49. The financial sector of Maldives is made up of seven banks and it is regulated by the Maldives Monetary Authority.
50. With 678 kW power, the resort in Dhidhoofinolhu claims to be the world’s largest oceanic floating solar plant.
51. Over £10 million was given to the Port of Male, a loan from Asian Development Bank, to upgrade its infrastructure.
52. In terms of health, HIV rates have greatly fallen in Maldives, with malaria eradicated.
53. The average income in the capital city of this island country is 75% higher than other surrounding islands.
54. There is a lower level of development in the North of Maldives than in the southern part of the country.
55. One out of three female citizens of Maldives between the age of 18 to 39 have faced domestic violence.
56. The GDP of Maldives grew to about 6.9 percent in 2018 and – 13% in 2020.
57. Maldives took the position of 54th in the GDP per capita rank in the world in 2019.
58. Maldives exports about $253 million worth of goods and imports $2.15 billion of goods as of 2019.
59. In 2004, Maldives had an estimated public debt of about $316 million.
60. The main import partners of Maldives are the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, China, India, and Malaysia.
61. According to the World Bank, the gross national income of Maldives is 6.941 billion PPP dollars as of 2020.