The Republic of Maldives has a tropical climate with high humidity. There are no seasons here, instead, there are monsoon periods. The average maximum temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius, year-round. The archipelago of the Maldives, with about 1,200 islands, stretches 800 kilometres in length and 120 kilometres in width in the Indian Ocean. There are 220 islands inhabited by the local population, while 100 islands are developed for tourism. The capital Malé, located in the North Malé Atoll, has about 142,000 inhabitants, while a total of about 436,000 people live elsewhere among the Maldives islands.
The national language is Dhivehi. It has unique characters, which are written from right to left, and is heavily enriched with Arabic foreign words. The English language is widely used in the executive and business community. Maldivian Rufiyaa is the currency of the archipelago.
Interesting facts about the Maldives:
