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If the Maldives appears on your travel bucket list, you’ll already know about it’s white sandy beaches and turquoise lagoons, but when wanderlust strikes it’s normal to crave as much information about the place of your dreams as possible so here are a few interesting facts about the Maldives:
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- The Maldives is 99% water – there are 1,192 coral islands, grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres and only 298 square kilometers of that is dry land, making this one of the world’s most dispersed countries.
- Cowry shells, commonly found on the beaches, were once the currency of the Maldives; they now feature on Maldivian coins.
- Bodu Beru, meaning ‘big drum’, is the traditional Maldivian music with a rhythmic beat. Historians believe that it came to the Maldives around the 11th Century AD from Africa by way of the trade route.
- At an average of only 1.5 metres above sea level, the Maldives is the lowest nation in the world. The highest point is on Villingili Island, and at just 2.3 metres, it is the lowest high point of any country.
- Dhivehi is the language spoken in the Maldives; influenced by many cultures over the years, it has been shaped by various languages including Arabic, Sinhalese, French, Portuguese, Persian and English.
- The white sandy beaches are coralline in origin; they are created by parrotfish biting and grinding up the coral on the reef and pooing out the white sand we all love – an adult parrot fish can produce an estimated ton of sand per year! Coral beaches make up less than 5% of beaches worldwide.
- Mas Huni is a traditional Maldivian dish made from mashed tuna mixed with coconut, chili, and onion and often served for breakfast with roshi – it’s delicious!
- The currency of Maldives is called Maldivian Rufiyaa but you won’t need local currency while staying at Innahura, prices are all in US$ and payments can be made in most major currencies or credit card.
Our team here at Innahura Maldives will be happy to teach you many more interesting facts about our beautiful country!
