Male – the coolest city in the world!

An aerial view of the coolest looking city I’ve ever seen.

Male is the capital city of the Republic of Maldives. It is only about 2 km² with more than 100 000 inhabitants which is about one third of the country’s total population.Looking at it from above is unreal! You see city of of skyscrapers and paved roads on a tiny island in the middle of Indian Ocean.

The first settlers in the Maldive islands were Dravidian people  from the nearest shores, which are in the modern Indian Subcontinent and coastal Ceylon. Comparative studies of Maldivian linguistic, oral and other cultural traditions, in addition to folklore, point to a strong Dravidian influence on Maldivian society, centered in Malé, from ancient times. The people of Giraavaru, an island located in Malé Atoll (now a tourist resort, after the forced diaspora of its inhabitants) claim to descend from the first settlers of the Maldives, ancient Tamils.

The names of the main four wards or divisions of Malé Island are said to have been given by the aboriginal Giraavaru fishermen: Maafannu from “maa” (big) and “fannu” (a place where a village path meets the sea), Henveiru from “en-beyru” (out where fishermen got their bait), Galolhu from “galu-olhu” (stone groove) and, Macchangolhi from “mathi-angolhi” (windward path-fork).

The modern-day city was founded as a trading post by the Portuguese in the 16th century.

It’s awesome!!

The second big island on the picture is Male International airport

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