Home to some of the best beaches in the world, Maldives is a double chain of twenty-six atolls, a group of coral reef islands at the cusp of the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. It is oriented north- south and lies between the Minicoy Island, the southernmost tip of the Lakshadweep Islands, and the Chagos Archipelago to the south. The archipelago consists of around 1200 islands, of which the vast majority of the country’s population of around 300,000 people occupies about 180 islands, tourist resorts are spread over around 100 islands. The rest are largely unoccupied. Surrounded by crystal clear blue green waters, the islands are a stunning sight for all vacationers. The country, though at the mercy of the perilous sea, has somehow managed to turn itself into a luxury brand built on what was once a group of inhospitable coral islands. And that is quite an achievement by anyone’s standards. Luxurious it may be but the warmth the islands offer to everyone who sets foot here is incomparable. Some of the islands cater exclusively to the rich and mighty, while the others to those who travel on a shoestring budget. Located southwest of both India (600 km) and Sri Lanka (750 km), Maldives is the perfect holiday destination for families, lovers, divers and for those who are looking to get re-acquainted with nature. The first settlers in the islands were the Dravidians. From the mid-16th century till 1965, the country was under various colonial rules (Portuguese, Dutch and the British). Maldives had its first direct presidential elections in 2008. With a mélange in ethnicities there is an obvious diversity in food, customs and traditions, though the main influence is from India and Sri Lanka. Male is the capital of the Maldives and its main city. The various islands in this country are distinctive in their own way. They've become popular with travellers from the ‘70s when the first resorts on the island started being built. Since then, there has been no looking back. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 though was a time of reckoning for these tiny nations, revealing how vulnerable it was to the fury of the ocean, on which its economy is dependent. Though the waves were less than five meters in height, only nine of the country’s inhabited islands escaped flooding. Six islands were completely destroyed and 57 faced severe damage.