Your gateway to Maldives

Location and Geography
Scattered across the equator this unique island nation trails down the center of the Indian Ocean some 720 kilometers southwest of Sri Lanka The Maldives are composed of 1 190 coral islands forming an archipelago of 26 major atolls 200 of which are in

Climate
Being on the equator the Maldives experience warm and humid weather with 2700 hours of sunshine throughout the year The seasons are mild and the average temperature is around 29 - 32 degrees Celsius The temperatures in the exquisite waters of the Indian

What to wear
Dress is generally casual with a no shoes no news flavour for most of the island resorts T-shirts lightweight linen and cotton clothing are most suitable

Culture, Language and Religion
The friendly nation of the Maldives offers a wonderful insight into a melting pot of their people who are of Aryan origin and who s physical features are a mix of Indian African and Arab The country changed from a Sultanate

Customs Regulations
The importation of alcohol into the Maldives is strictly forbidden and any alcohol found during baggage screening at the airport will be confiscated The same will apply to narcotics firearms and pornographic materials in an

Economy
The Maldives economy has been growing at an annual average of 10 for the past two decades Tourism is the main industry contributing close to 20 of the GDP Fisheries and trade follow close behind The Maldivian economy wel

Currency, Departure Taxes and Visas
The Maldivian currency is the Rufiyaa and Laaree One Rufiyaa is equivalent to 100 Laarees Rufiyaa bank notes come in denominations of 2 5 10 20 50 100 and 500 The US Dollar is the most commonly used foreign currency h

Education
The functional literacy rate is 98 Educational standards are among the highest in the region and schools follow the British system of education

Health
Some resorts have in-house doctors and nurses and a decompression chamber is within easy reach of most resorts in case of a diving emergency

Local Time
The Maldives are GMT 5 hours and have only one time zone

Communication
IDD facilities are available on all resorts and Dhiraagu the Maldives Telecommunications Company also provides mobile telephones for daily rental It is also the Internet service provider