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18 curiosities about the Maldives that you may not have known and that may surprise you
We all know what a paradise of crystal clear waters is, but in this post I will tell you. 18 very interesting curiosities of the Maldives that you don't know anyway. From its incredible marine biodiversity, such as its curious language, its religion or even the tiny size of its largest island.
Whether you travel to the Maldives, or if you like to read curiosities to learn new things every day, you will love this article and I am sure that you will learn something new.
- Curiosities about Maldives
- The population is 100% Muslim
- There is no beer at sunset
- The "bikini beach" and the "local beach"
- Resorts live outside the law
- Why the cabins over the water with a symbol of the country?
- It is the flattest country in the world
- The country is sinking, a sad curiosity of the Maldives
- The Maldives is not so carOr, a curiosity that is very surprising
- The Maldivian language is very curious
- The largest island measures 6km
- The sun burns like in few other places
- Why is the sand so white? A curiosity about the Maldives that you probably didn't know about
- Waste management is a great challenge
- It is one of the best diving sites in the world
- Coconut trees are very dangerous
- Dogs are prohibited
- Feeding is practiced
- Coral as a building material
Curiosities about Maldives
The population is 100% Muslim
If you were born in Maldives by law you are automatically Muslim and If you convert from Islam to another religion you lose your nationality. You can only be of another religion if you are a foreigner but you will have to keep it secret in quotes, without making any allusion or display in public.
This makes the Maldives one of the few places in the world where you will not find any churches. It's more, It is prohibited to enter the country with religious symbols that are not Muslim such as a Bible or a Buddha figure.
There is no beer at sunset
Continuing with the theme of religion, as a Muslim country, alcohol is prohibited. So you won't find it on any local island. Another of the curiosities of the Maldives is If you are one of those who needs a beer during your vacation in the very touristy islands like Maafushi there is a “boat-bar” in which yes There is alcohol. People come from the port in boats to busescar and bring people in.
The "bikini beach" and the "local beach"
Before traveling to the Maldives we had never heard of the concept of bikini beach. And it turns out that because of religion It is prohibited to wear a swimsuit, also for tourists, So on many local tourist islands, bikini beaches have been created, which are beaches where you can go in a swimsuit.
This does not mean that you cannot bathe in the rest of the island, but it does mean that you will have to do so dressed, especially if you are a woman. Just a pair of leggings, even if they are short, and a short-sleeved t-shirt, which is even appreciated to protect you from the sun.
Resorts live outside the law
As you read, what I said about alcohol or clothing is completely ignored if you stay at a resort. And why this? It turns out that They are private islands mostly owned by American companies, so the rules that refer to being an Islamic country are left out.
Why the cabins over the water with a symbol of the country?
Tourism in general is relatively new to the Maldives. The first tourist complex in the country opened in 1973 and For thirty years, the only way to visit it as a tourist was to stay in luxury resorts and their cabins over the sea. (Although not all resorts have them!)
A little over fifteen years ago the government changed regulations to allow the opening of guesthouses and small hotels on local islands. What on the one hand turned the Maldives into an achievable destination for many and allowed tourists to know the real life of Maldivians in Maldives. Did you know these curiosities about Maldives? I had no idea!
It is the flattest country in the world
And also by far, because the next flattest country is Qatar with 28 meters above sea level of average altitude while Maldives has an average altitude that does not even reach 3 meters. The highest point in the entire country is 2.3 meters on Villingili Island.
The country is sinking, a sad curiosity of the Maldives
Consequently, being the flattest country in the world, its 1.192 islands are in danger of sinking. Increasingly eroded and with climate change causing rising ocean levels It is estimated that at the current rate, by the end of the century, most of its islands will have sunk..
Today we are working on what will happen once this happens. The idea of buying land in India and moving its half a million inhabitants is on the table, as is creating houses on floating islands so as not to completely uninhabit the Maldives.
The Maldives is not so carOr, a curiosity that is very surprising
If you're on our blog, you probably already know that the Maldives is a destination you can travel to without a mortgage.carBut surprisingly, a lot of people believe that the Maldives is a destination that only footballers and movie stars can afford.
In this post we give you 10 tips for traveling to the Maldives on a budget, and of course enjoy it just as much, or even more than in a €3.000 per night resort.
The Maldivian language is very curious
One of the most interesting curiosities of the Maldives is that the spoken language is similar to Sinhalese (that of Sri Lanka), but also has aspects of Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and many other languages. It is one of the most unique alphabets we have seen while traveling, in the cover photo of this post you can see how to write “Only for Toursist”.
The largest island measures 6km
Clearly, it is not a destination for people looking to walk as its largest island is only 6 kilometers long. Maldives is your ideal destination if you like the sea, marine life and resting under a coconut tree.
The sun burns like in few other places
Maldives is located just across the equatorial line so the sun receives it at an angle of 90 degrees, to which if you add white sands and turquoise waters it is the necessary combination for the sun in the Maldives is one of the most dangerous in the world. Don't forget to bring plenty of sunscreen on your trip or you will surely get burned.
Why is the sand so white? A curiosity about the Maldives that you probably didn't know about
The sand on all the beaches in the Maldives is coral, pieces of coral that have died and turned into sand over the centuries. If you see a coral in the sand it is super white, right? Well, that's why the sand is so white because it is formed thanks to them.
But not only themParrot fish are one of the biggest causes of white sand and they feed by nibbling on corals and rocks, which causes their poop to be white beach sand.. When you are snorkeling or diving you will see more than once how grit comes out from behind and you will also hear the bites they hit the coral.
Waste management is a great challenge
Unfortunately, in many places in the Maldives, marine life is being invaded by bottles, straws, and wrappers. carLove them… and many other plastics. Waste management in the Maldives is very, very complex and complicated. Practically the only way to get rid of garbage is to burn it which of course is not good for the environment. At night on many islands you can smell the smell of burning plastic.
If you travel to the Maldives, help reduce this impact by trying to avoid buying small bottles or not taking takeaway food, small gestures matter.
It is one of the best diving sites in the world
The waters of the Maldives are home to the world's largest population of sharks, five marine species of turtles, one of the favorite places for the largest fish in the world, the whale shark, manta rays and of course hundreds of species of colorful fish along with a long list of other marine species.
3 dives we did in Maldives To this day they are the most spectacular we have done. On the other hand, for us the snorkeling paradise is not in the Maldives (although beware that it is also spectacular eh!) the snorkeling paradise is in the Red Sea of Egypt.
Coconut trees are very dangerous
Are you afraid of the Maldives seabed because there are sharks? Well let me tell you that Coconut trees cause more accidents and deaths annually than sharks or any other marine species.
This Maldives curiosity can save your life. So be careful where you go to sunbathe both in the Maldives and in other tropical destinations because the coconuts are not exactly soft.
Dogs are prohibited
This is another of the curiosities of the Maldives related to Islam. For Muslims, dogs are “dirty” animals. for an infection caused by a dog to Muhammad according to the Koran. In general terms it is strange that you see a devout Muslim with a dog but they are also prohibited in the Maldives. What you will see on the local islands are many cute cats.
Feeding is practiced
Not everything is good in the Maldives, another curiosity about the Maldives is that feeding is practiced a lot, which is nothing more than feed animals so tourists can see them up close on tours. This is done in other countries in the world but not in such an exaggerated way as in the Maldives.
The most obvious example is swimming with nurse or cat sharks, a species that is usually solitary, they sleep during the day attached to the sand and feed at night. But on a tour you will see them in groups hanging around the ship near the surface, which is seriously altering their habits.
Coral as a building material
The last of the curiosities of the Maldives is fortunately no longer practiced and is that In the past, some houses were built with corals on the walls to give them rigidity. We have not seen it in the Maldives, but where we did see it was in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where its entire wall has pieces of coral.
