25 Interesting Things About The Maldives From a Filipino Expat’s Perspective

By vivomigsgee in Features Travel December 19, 2021

It’s already been a month since I started my new chapter in a foreign land. To date, I still couldn’t fathom how huge this blessing is, so I’d like to start this article with a sincerest appreciation to the God Almighty for giving me such wonderful opportunity – landing an Executive-level job in the Maldives.

The Maldives is well-known for romantic getaways and excursion-packed family holidays, but its culture and tradition go far beyond its status as one of the best spots for a luxury vacation. Famous for its sugary white beaches and cerulean waters, the Maldives has been a tourist hotspot for almost five decades.

I’m absolutely sure I still have a lot to know about this beautiful corner of the world but I already have a couple of observations, let’s say initial things I find interesting, that I’d like to share with you. This listicle will help you learn a bit more about my new home (which I considered as a little piece of paradise) and discover something new.

So, here are 25 things you should know about the Maldives from a perspective of a Filipino Expat.

1. Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean, South Asia, south-southwest of India. It has a total land size of 298 km² (115 square miles) which makes it the smallest nation in Asia. Check the map, it’s barely even noticeable or visible at first navigation (unless you zoom it).

2. Maldives is composed of 1929 islands. It consists of approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making this one of the most geographically dispersed countries in the world. Out of 1,192 islands, only 16% or 187 are inhabited.

3. The locals also call it “Dhivehi Raaje” or Land of the Dhivehi people. The word “Maldives” (pronounced as mol·deevz) means “the islands (dives) of Malé”. The name Maldives is derived from Sankrit mālā (garland) and dvīpa (island). The word Dhives (Dhivehin) means “islanders” (i.e., Maldivians).

4. The official language of Maldives is Dhivehi. English is widely spoken by the locals of the Maldives, although the official one is called Maldivian, also known by its endonym Dhivehi or Divehi. The most basic example is ‘assalaamu alaikum’ which means hello. The first Dhivehi word I’ve learned upon arrival in the Maldives is ‘maruhabaa’ which means welcome.

5. The official currency is Rufiyaa. The Maldivian rufiyaa is the currency of the Maldives, equal to 100 laris. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MAA). The most commonly used symbols for the rufiyaa are MVR and Rf. Although Rufiyaa is the official currency, most companies pay their employees in USD. As of writing, 1 USD is equal to 15.46 MVR. 1 MVR is equal to 3.30 PHP.

6. Maldives is a Muslim country. Muslim traders introduced Islam by the mid-12th century. Almost all islands in the Maldives have mosque. The first mosques built in the Maldives were initially made of materials that easy degraded over time. There is no Catholic church or any other religions present in the country.

7. Fridays and Saturdays are weekends. First day of the work week is Sunday and the last day of work week for a 5-day duty is Thursday. It’s actually a challenging thing to change your mindset to even think of working on a Sunday. Promise! I know I will get used to this set-up soon.

8. Most shops are closed on a Friday. If you have things to buy or services to avail, you have to put in mind that most shops are closed on a Friday, being the a public holiday or equivalent to a rest day. Restaurants are open though.

9. Almost all corners have a perfume shop. I noticed that almost all corners of the metro have shops selling fragrances. Not just any fragrance, but the authentic perfumes that are imported abroad. If you happen to enter one perfume shop, expect that the saleslady will give you coffee beans. DON’T EAT IT. It is thought that smelling coffee beans will awaken your nasal receptors and enable you to continue to have the full experience of sampling the various perfumes. I learned it the hard way! LOL!

10. Maldivians pray 5 times a day. As with all Islamic countries Muslim’s pray 5 times a day. Salath is one of the five pillars of Islam which refers to the call to prayer and decrees to pray five times each day. In the Maldives, salath is also called namadh. With this, even stores are closed around 12 noon to 2PM and 6PM to 8PM, even on weekdays.

11. Malé, the capital city of Maldives, is heavily urbanized. Being the capital, it is also the most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of 8.30 square kilometers (3.20 square miles), it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world and serves as the heart of all commercial activities in the country. The roads are too narrow and some are hardly even passable by human as motorcycles are parked on every corner.

12. Maldives main airport is located in Hulhulé Island. Located near the capital city Malé,Velana International Airport is the principal gateway to the Maldives. On 11 November 1981, the airport was officially inaugurated as “Malé International Airport”. On 26 July 2011, Malé International Airport was officially renamed as the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in memory of Ibrahim Nasir, the 2nd President of the Maldives and the founder of the airport. On 1 January 2017, the airport was rebranded as Velana International Airport, referring to the family house name of said President.

13. Hulhumalé Island is a fast developing artificial island. Located in the south of North Malé Atoll, Maldives, this reclaimed island is being built up by pumping sand from the sea floor, in order to meet the existing and future housing, industrial and commercial development demands of the Malé region and as a response to the threat posed by rising sea levels. This island has wider roads and surrounded by lots of trees and open spaces.

14. The Sinamalé Bridge first inter-island bridge in the Maldives. It links the islands of Malé, Hulhulé and Hulhumalé (through Hulhulé) in the Maldives. The 1.39 km long bridge has two car lanes and separate lanes for motorcycles, and pedestrians, and opened on 30 August 2018. During the pandemic, however, people are prohibited to cross the bridge, unless aboard a bus or private vehicles.

15. Two seasons dominate Maldives’ weather. With close proximity to the equator, just like the Philippines, the Maldives experiences a tropical monsoon climate with year-round warm weather and divided into two (1) dry season associated with the winter northeast monsoon and (2) rainy season brought by the summer southwest monsoon. Being the lowest country in the world, with the highest elevation in the island nation being below 8 feet, the temperature is constantly high, even at night.
16. There is no dog on the island. I maybe a dog-lover but knowing that dogs are banned in the Maldives is sad. Since it is a Muslim country, dogs are believed to be “dirty”, unlike cats, reptiles, and other animals. Some reasons include avoiding rabies cases and “lessen” the noise in the environment.

17. Alcoholic drinks are prohibited. Since the Maldives is a 100% Muslim country, that means there is absolutely no alcohol sold on the local islands. But, you might be wondering, what about the all-inclusive resorts?! Rejoice because they’re exempted. Be careful though when you visit shops and ask if they’re selling alcohol (even if you’re referring to the ethyl/isopropyl one) ‘coz locals would stare at you like you just k*lled someone. Haha.

18. You cannot find pork in the main (local) islands of the Maldives. It is a crime for Maldivians to consume pork and such product is banned from inhabited islands. However, under a special permit, tourist resorts can offer these items to their foreign guests. So, as a Filipino Expat, I have an excuse to visit one resort at a time just to eat pork. LOL!

19. PDAs are not allowed in the public. Public displays of affection are illegal in public places in the Maldives especially non-resort islands like Malé City. This includes behavior that is acceptable in other countries such as kissing and holding hands.

20. It is illegal to be gay or lesbian in the Maldives. The Maldives law criminalizes homosexuality and prescribes criminal penalties for same-sex sexual conduct and LGBTQ relationships. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer persons in Maldives face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents.

21. There is only one laundry shop in Male. Believe it or not, the sole laundry shop that’s operating in Male for personal garments is The Laundry. While laundry shops in Cebu offer wash/dry service for as low as Php 20.00 per kilogram, in the Maldives, the charge is per piece (average cost is 20 MVR ). I might consider having a laundry service as a personal business soon.

22. There are no waterfalls or mountains in the country. Temporarily living in the sunny side of life but the world’s flattest country, the mountaineer/waterfall chaser in me sometimes feels gloomy. Even though the Maldives has no mountains or even hills, some islands have dunes which can reach 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) above sea level, like the NW coast of Hithadhoo in Addu Atoll. The islands are too small to have rivers, but small lakes and marshes can be found in some of them.

23. The local dish is generally spicy. Flavors and spices from the Maldives’ neighboring nations such as Sri Lanka and India have heavily influenced traditional Maldivian cuisine, also known as Dhivehi cuisine. Through ancient trade and travel, a myriad of ingredients have been incorporated into Maldivian cooking that created the complex and deliciously spicy curries. I honestly had a hard time finishing the local dishes for the first few weeks without a runny nose.

24. Cost of living is generally high in Male. I’ve spent more than 30,000 pesos in just 5 days for some basic necessities, toiletries and home essentials. 5 pieces of bananas cost around 450 PHP, 1 cup of rice is being sold in some restaurants for 4 USD (200 PHP), minimum taxi fare interisland is 245 PHP, you name it. However, I find it interesting that not everything is costly in the Maldives. I was surprised that utilities are cheaper (covering half month only) as I just paid 50 MVR for electric, 50 for water and 15 MVR for broadband connection.

25. Many Filipinos are living in the Maldives and they’re supportive. Almost all shops and resorts have Pinoy workers. I encounter one or two Pinoy every single day and I can’t help but say “Kumusta, Kabayan?”. I maybe living alone but I can feel the warmth of the Filipino community. I feel the instant connection seeing some OFWs here in Maldives, and very grateful to a few, especially when they’re addressing some of my problems like transferring money to international banks using a local bank account (which I currently don’t have).

There you have it mates! This ends my 25 preliminary observations about the Maldives that I personally find interesting as a new Filipino Expat. This is not a complete list so I will probably add more as I encounter them or as soon as something new is brought to my attention. I might publish part two of this listicle soon. After a year, perhaps?