Maldives

The massive amounts of islands in The Maldives are divided up into atolls. Atolls are islands formed from a coral reef, these are often circular or horseshoe-shaped, and have a lagoon in the middle. These atolls are located in the Indian Ocean, south of India and Sri Lanka. The 1192 separate islands are grouped into 26 natural atolls, these atolls formed over many years and mean that there are great coral reefs in the area. The Maldives islands used to be the ring shaped coral formations at the edge of large volcanic mountains which sunk into the sea creating open lagoons at the center of each atoll. The result of this is that although the ocean lagoons are not all that deep, the channels in between the atolls are often very deep,especially where the channels are the widest. The Maldives Islands were first charted in 1834 to 1836 and due to the large number of islands as well as the treacherous conditions; this was a very difficult thing to complete. Captain Robert Moresby performed this arduous task with help from Lieutenants Christopher and Young. Although this feat occurred some time ago the maps are still around today and many people familiar with the Maldives claim that they are more useful than the current satellite maps. The Maldives have really boomed over the recent years due to the tourism that the unique environment has attracted. Many people are employed by the tourism industry and with the devastating tsunami which hit parts of the Maldives, supporting the country will help many others while you enjoy yourself.