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The palm-fringed islands with sparkling white beaches, turquoise
lagoons, clear warm waters and coral reefs teeming with abundant
varieties of marine flora and fauna, continue to fascinate visitors,
as it has fascinated others in the past, for thousands of years.
Marco Polo referred to the Maldives as the 'Flower of the Indies"
and Ibn Batuta called her in his chronicles as "One of the Wonders
of the World".
Measuring 820 Kilometres north to south and 120 Kilometers east to
west at its greatest width, the closest neighbours are India and Sri
Lanka. Comprising of 1190 coral islands of which only 202 are
inhibited. Each island is surrounded by a shallow lagoon which is
enclosed by a coral reef providing protection from the hazards of
the sea. Hundreds of these islands along with other coral growth
form an atoll.
The islands are very small and low-lying with many being no more
than two meters above sea level. Common features are tall coconut
palms, white sandy beaches and crystal clear lagoons. There are no
hills, mountains or rivers in the Maldives.
The Sun, the Sand & the Sea. These are just the three simple
realities beckoning tourists from far and wide to these little
islets, giving as a result, a glorious sense of happiness and
proving to be a heavenly getaway from the world and its worries.
The Maldives teaches the visitors the pleasurable art of doing
nothing, simply lazing around and enjoying some of the most
spectacular and colourful vistas offered by Nature. No wonder then
that tourists flock in large numbers to the 70 odd self-contained
island resorts ;provided with all the comforts and warmth exuded by
traditional Maldivian hospitality. That is why Maldives is
considered to be the ultimate destination, the future world for
holiday-makers.
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