Heavenly turquoise blue waters, lush tropical islands and Robinson Crusoe type isolation - these are just some of the images that come to mind when we think about travelling to the Maldives. Picture yourself lounging on the white sand beaches of the Maldives. In this article you will discover a new world altogether - a beautiful world beyond the imagination of most people. A world where you can be one of a small handful of people that have an island all to themselves. This world is called The Maldives.

Location Of The Maldives

The Maldives are a group of tiny islands that are set in the Indian Ocean - the closest countries to the Maldives are India and Sri Lanka. There are approximately 1200 separate islands in the Maldives and only about one sixth of these are populated. The capital of the Maldives is Male - the most densely inhabited island. But while Male, it seems, is simply bursting from the seams, there certainly are no space problems on the other islands. Male holds about a third of the Maldivian population while the remaining are scattered around various other islands.

Flora & Fauna That Inhabit The Islands & Surrounding Waters

Contrary to the first impressions of many, the Maldives islands are not especially hospitable to plants, mainly because the soil does not have the nutrients to support a large and varied diversity of plant life. The main type of vegetation include coconut trees, vines, banyan trees as well as mangroves. Also found are Breadfruit trees and Bamboos. Flowering plants include Bougainvillaea and Frangipani.

The islands have an incredible number of colourful, tropical fish and when you visit you're bound to see many of them. A few of these include Butterfly fish, Dolphins, Anglefish, Parrotfish and Flutemouth. The colours and shapes of some of these fish are as varied and intriguing as their names would suggest. Divers are sure to have an experience of a lifetime in the Maldives.

While there are a healthy variety of birds inhabiting the islands, there are fewer varieties of land based animals. Common to the islands are flying foxes, geckos and garden lizards.

There are over 100 species of birds - expect to see crows, parakeets, and waterhens as well as koel birds. Also present are herons, seagulls and noddys.

Activities In The Maldives

The Maldives offers its guests a huge range of activities & recreation and depending on the resort that you choose you may get to sample a few or all of them.

Some activities are diving - canoeing - night fishing - island hopping - water and land sports.

The exotic tropical country of Maldives has all the ingredients for a perfect holiday. You should experience this luxury!

BlueWaterArticles.com: - Introduction to the Maldives

About the Author

Paul Thusius administers Travel Maldives Network. Subscribe Newsletter for Maldives details, pictures, videos.