| Maldives - Geography The sea forms over 99 percent of the Maldives. Only 0.331 percent, 115 square miles, of its 47,740 square miles is land. And a mere 199 out of, at least 1,190, islands are inhabited. Seen from air, the atolls and islands form breathtakingly beautiful patterns against the blue depths of the Indian Ocean. The Maldivian atolls are a classic example of its kind. The Oxford English Dictionary says the word is "an adoption of the native name "atholhu" applied to the Maldive Islands , which are typical examples of this structure". The atolls rise from a common plateau, a long dead volcanic landmass, and are separated from each other by deep channels. A journey between them is often easy to navigate. The islands are formed from coral layers rising sharply from the plateau. Most of these islands are situated close to the atoll enclosure reef and vary in size from patches of coral or small sand banks, to real islands – some are still in the process of forming. Because they are based on coral, the islands are flat; the highest point very rarely rises over six feet above sea level. Fortunately, the atoll reefs protect the islands from the major elements. Years and years of the sea moving with shell particles have grounded them into grains of sand smaller than a little dot. Though there are no forests as such, the islands all support vegetation that can be quite lush. Coconut palms hold forte in the court of trees, thriving without help even on the smallest of islands. | |
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