The Republic of Maldives is an archipelago of 1,190 small coral islands out of which 199 are inhabited. The total area including land and sea is about 90,000 sq. km. The common features of the islands are tall coconut palms, white sandy beaches and crystal clear lagoons. There are no hills, mountains or rivers in The Maldives. The climate, which is determined by two monsoons, is warm and humid. The rainy South-West monsoon begins during April and continues until October, while the generally fine North-East Monsoon prevails from December - March. The average annual rainfall is 1654.3 mm and the mean daily temperature is 30.4 C while the daily minimum is 25.4 C.

The protective coral reef surrounding every island is a submerged underwater garden which is home to hundreds of species of multi-coloured tropical fish and countless shapes and sizes of corals and shells. Throughout the Maldives, Dhivehi, a language which belongs to the Indo-Iranian group of languagews is spoken. The language has a strong Arabic influence. The National Emblem of the Republic of Maldives comprises a Coconut Palm, Crescent and Star. The National Tree is the Coconut Palm and the Pink Rose is the National Flower.

The Maldives has been independent state throughout its known history, except for a brief period of fifteen years of Portuguese occupation in the 16th Century. The unit of Maldivian currency is the Rufiyaa (Rf) which is divided into one hundred Laari (L). Major currencies can be exchanged at authorized money changers. There is no restriction on the amount of foreign currencies that visitors may bring in or take out of the country. The economy is based on three principle activities, fishing, tourism and shipping. Poor soil and limited availability of cultivable land limits agriculture. Traditional industry consist of local boat building, handicraft such as mat weaving, jewellery making and lacquer work. The common mode of inter island transport is by locally built boats known as "dhoani", although there is regular ferry services between the islands. Air Maldives operates domestic flights between the four regional airports. 'Male' international airport on the island of Hulhule handles all international air traffic.

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