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Maldivians are a homogenous people – of one race, one culture, and one religion, Islam. Physically, Maldivians resemble Asian, Arab, Negroid and a Mongoloid mix.
The people are friendly and naturally “sunny and warm”. The population of the Maldives is around 260,000. with a literacy rate of 98%. From the 1960’s English medium Education has been introduced and is now universalized.The Maldivian language, Dhivehi, is the national language. And is a derivation of a mix of Sinhalese, Tamil, Urdu, Persian and Arabic. The Maldivian script is known as ‘Thaana” and it written from left to right.Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean, to the South West of India. The islands form 26 natural atolls, each enclosed by a coral reef cut by several deep natural channels. Each island is also surrounded by a protective coral reef and shallow lagoon.
There are a total of 1190 islands and only 207 islands are inhabited.
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