7 fascinating facts about Maldives we bet you didn’t know

The Maldives is undoubtedly one of the most popular beach destinations in the world and has been attracting tourists from across the globe.

A tropical paradise on earth, the island nation is home to some incredible beaches and diverse marine life. This jewel in the Indian Ocean has a unique history, beautiful culture and warm people.

Here are some of the fascinating facts about the Maldives we bet you didn’t know about:

Beware of sun in the Maldives! The island, being close to the equator, receives sunlight almost at an angle of 90 degrees. So don’t forget to carry sun protection with a SPF of 50+.

The Maldives is one of those few places on earth where one can spot the gorgeous whale sharks, the world’s biggest fish, all year round.

The beaches here mostly have white sands, which are of coralline origins. The amazing sand is extremely fine and white in colour. Coralline beaches are quite rare and constitute just 5% of all the beaches in the world. This is the reason why Maldivian beaches are considered a paradise on earth.

The Maldives is home to five of the seven species of marine turtles in the world! These are the leatherback, Olive Ridley turtles, loggerhead, green turtle and hawksbill.

For those who don’t know, the Maldives is the flattest country on earth, with an average altitude of 1.5 m from sea level!

Given its less than average altitude, rising sea levels and increasing land erosion, the Maldives is sinking into the ocean. A number of laws are being enforced to prevent this; but, at the current rate, the island will be completely submerged by 2030!

The island nation does not have Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, but instead has Friday and Saturday. So people generally work on Sundays in the Maldives.