Maldives Geography

The Geographical Structure of Maldives

Maldives geography is based upon a group of 26 coral islands which are formed by approximately 1,190 coral reef islands, and there are 20 administrative atolls along with Male which is the capital island of them all. It is a neighbor of Sri Lanka and is situated southwest of it. The view of Maldives from the air is splendid because of the beautiful patterns it makes in the clear blue sea.

Maldives has numerous islands among which only 200 of them have people living there. The north-south stretch of this country is approximately 824 kilometers and from east to west it is about 129 kilometers. Maldives is more of blue water than the land because more than 99% of it is sea.

Along with the Lakshadweep and Chagos Islands, Maldives forms a long submarine mountain range, on the ridge of which the coral reefs are growing. The Maldivian atolls are very unique and each of them has a coral reef which encloses several lagoons and natural channels. ‘Faru’ is strange reef structure which you can only find in Maldives, and refers to round reefs in a line. Moving through the atolls is not a difficult task, though there are strong winds and currents at times, especially during the monsoons. There are also nice waves making this a great surfing destination.

Most of the Maldives islands are small enough to walk from one end to another in less than ten minutes. The longest one is Hithadhoo which is around 8 kilometers long and is situated in the Addu atoll. These islands sound pretty small according to their sizes, but occupy a vast area because of the openness, the crystal clear blue sea and the beaches which merge with each other. Spending your time in these beautiful Maldives islands, below the blue skies and a calm environment, gives your mind and soul the ultimate relaxation and peacefulness.

The top layer of the islands of Maldives is made up of a mixture of sand and organic matter which is formed when vegetables and dead animals get accumulated, resulting in a dark soil like material called humus. This forms the topmost layer of six inches. Below this layer are the sand stones which occupy 2 feet deep space. Beneath this layer one can find fresh water stored in the sands. This is the reason why one will see fresh water lakes in most of the islands. The green vegetation is covered with tall elegant coconut trees, short dense shrubs and many other plants which bear attractive flowers.

The geography of the Maldives are founded upon the concept of atoll reefs which act as protective barrier for these coral islands against the strong current of the sea because they are just six feet above the level of the sea. But erosion is a common phenomenon, especially for those islands situated close to the windward reefs. There have been many devastating encounters of gale storms in the year 1812 and 1955, and the scientists have also said that the Islands of Maldives are in danger due to the rise in the sea level caused by global warming. To safeguard the country from such natural calamities, the government has built up artificial breakwaters and other safety measures with the help of Japan, and has started purchasing land in India, in the event of excessive population displacement.

The Maldives are very beautiful series of islands to be enjoyed by all, so book your Maldives vacation packages today!

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