Maldives Facts & Information

The Maldives Full Name:  Republic of Maldives

Area: 90,000 sq kms made up of 1,190 islands.

Archipelago: Length 823 km, Width: 130kms

Largest Atoll: Huvadhu Atoll

Smallest Atoll: Gnaviyani Atoll

Capital: Male (which is just 1.77 sq km)

Maldives Weather

The Maldives has a tropical climate with fantasticaly warm temperatures and sun throughout the year. The weather in the Maldives is largely determined by monssons. The south-west monsoons form May to November and the north-east monsoons from December to April. Although monsoon sounds like a very dramatic word, don't let this put you off. It simply discribes the weather in a tropical climate.

Maldives weather is fantastic. If you refer to the graph on the right of this screen you will see the average temperature in the Maldives is consistant year round, with the number of hours of sunshine each day hardly changing. Rainfall does increase at times of the year, but remember it will be short bursts of rain, will dry very quickly and will remain hot.

Maldives Population

300,000 estimated in 2007

Maldives Religion

100% Sunni Muslim

Maldives Language

Dhivehi is the national language but English is widely spoken.

Maldives Airports

The main airport is Male' International Airport on Hulhule island. This is approximately 2km from the capitale Male. Gan International Airport has recently opened for international flights and there are 3 more domestic airports in the country. All flights originating in the UK will fly into Male International Airport.

Credit Cards

All major credit cards are accepted at resorts and in big shops and restaurants in Male.

Other Useful Maldives Information

Learn more about the Maldives

Maldives Diving

Surfing in the Maldives

Maldives - What to Expect

Maldives for your honeymoon