Maldives

A couple of months age The Republic of the Maldives was in the news in Australia. The Maldives government wanted to buy part of Australia. They were afraid of losing their country to the rising sea level. Today, my interest in this country was revived because I received an email from someone in the Maldives who was starting a poultry farm. He was asking for a quote for poultry feed. This is not a silly thing at all; Australia is a major exporter not only of food for people, but also of feed for animals. However, we have a small shop and not a suitable supplier for him. I gave him the contact details of two Australian feed manufacturers and wished him luck.

The average height above sea level of the Maldives is less than five feet, rising to a maximum height of seven and a half feet. In the twentieth century the average sea level rose by about eight inches. So far in the twenty first century the rate has been faster than that, but measurements over short periods are difficult to be sure of. There are many predictions of what the sea level will do next. I do not know which are right, but the trepidation of the people in the Maldives is well founded.

The Maldives was devastated by the tsunami in 2004, and the map of the country had to be revised.

This is not the first time a country has wanted to buy part of Australia. When Hong Kong was going to be handed back to China in accordance with its 99 year lease, a group of people from Hong Kong wanted to establish a new Hong Kong in Northern Australia. It did not happen.

The Maldives is a major tourist destination, having beautiful beaches and many resorts. Honeymooners go there for the romantic atmosphere and scuba divers for the wonderful underwater world accessible in the Maldives. As well as the normal reel dwellers, the Maldives is visited by the magnificent Whale Sharkand is an alternative to Ningaloo in Western Australia to see this huge fish.

Although there are many types of shark that have been recorded in the Maldives, most of them are not considered dangerous. The species of sharks in the Maldives do not include the Great White Sharkalthough it is not impossible for this migratory predator to go there.