With more than a thousand islands strewn like emeralds in the ocean, Maldives is a dream destination..

From the air the islands present a picture of surreal beauty. On land and at the sea it has inspired many a photographer and artist. The Maldives has occupied a special place in the heart of its visitors long before the advent of modern tourism. Marco Polo called it "Flowers of the Indies ", many believed it was "one of the wonders of the world".

The Maldives consists of 1190 islands grouped into 26 natural atolls. The atolls and the islands of the Maldives is scattered over an area of 90,000sq.km in the Indian Ocean , straddling the equator between latitudes 7*6" North and 0*42" South and longitudes 72*32" and 73*46" East.

Some facts about Maldives

• The Maldives is entirely made up of atolls and associated coral structures.
• 99% of the Maldives is water and just 1% land.
• The Maldives holds the world record of having the lowest highest point in any country.
• There are 70 protected bird species, 9 protected marine species and 25 protected marine areas in the country.
• There are 7 atolls with shark fishing moratoria.
• Over 1000 species of fish have so far been catalogued from the Maldives and 300 of these were recorded from the Maldives for the first time.
• 200 species of coral species representing 60 genera have been recorded from the Maldives .
• Maldivians' have practiced dolphin friendly fishing for centuries.