Over the Maldives
This series of images from Flickr user Velidhu07 shows several views of the tropical Maldives, in the Indian Ocean southwest of India. The first image here is from a commercial airliner, inbound to the international airport in Malé, the capital of the Maldives. Malé, home to about a quarter of the 320,000 inhabitants of the Maldives, covers all of the small island in front of the aircraft engine. The airport is located on another island, out of the frame to the lower left.
Photo (© Velidhu07)
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Vihamanaafushi Island, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
Vihamanaafushi Island lies just north of the airport. Its proximity to the airport and the capital led to its development as the first tourist resort in the Maldives, Kurumba Village, which opened in 1972.
Photo (© Velidhu07)
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Aarah Island, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
This image shows Aarah Island, located about two miles west of Vihamanaafushi Island. Aarah Island houses the presidential resort of the Maldives president. In both the photograph and the Google Earth screenshot, a large boat can be seen in the harbor area, presumably a presidential yacht.
Photo (© Velidhu07)
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Coral reefs, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
This image shows underwater reefs located just west of Aarah Island. The annular coral structures form as coral grows around the edges of an island that is slowly subsiding beneath the ocean surface. As the island sinks, the coral continues to grow around the fringes, eventually producing a circular structure with a central lagoon marking the location of the former island. The Maldives are dotted with hundreds of these atolls and sunken reefs.
Photos taken: January 2, 2007
Photos by: Velidhu07
Route: Unknown
