Malé is the smallest capital in the world with an area of 2 km², the size of ten football fields. Although very small in size, Malé is the geographical, economic, political and cultural centre of the Maldives. It was known as the "island of the Sultans" who chose it to build their palaces. After the Islamization of the country in the 12th century, Malé became the religious and administrative center of the country. Malé is the abbreviation of the word "Maaliu", meaning "main island". More recently, it was called "Mahal", meaning "Palace Island". The centre of activity on the island is the port. Almost all raw materials and most foodstuffs arrive on board merchant ships and dhonis, which unload their cargoes at the docks. These cargo ships must navigate between the islands guided by the dhonis who show them the narrow channels cut into the coral wall built below the water's surface in the 17th century to break the waves. In the past, the streets were covered with white sand, which was swept away at night and constantly renewed. Some alleys, called goalhis, have kept this characteristic, but almost all the streets and wide arteries (magus) are now paved or concreted. With its rapid demographic and economic growth since the 1970s, Malé is a special capital, unique in the world, a small piece of land teeming with people in the torpor of the Indian Ocean.The population of Malé is extremely dense. While in 1921, the British H. C. P. Bell counted about 5,000 inhabitants on the island, in 1970 the population was 20,000. Thereafter, the population has increased dramatically to about 120,000. The natural population growth due to improved living conditions was amplified by a wave of immigration from the island of Gan. Nearly 10,000 people, previously employed by the British on Addoo Atoll, found themselves unemployed in 1976 when the concession was abandoned, and migrated to the capital. In order to accommodate this growing population, the geographical limits of the island were twice extended by means of sea walls, built mainly in the south of the island. Recently, the island of Villingili has been joined to the capital. Once used for tourism, Villingili was reclaimed by the Maldivian authorities at the end of the concession and was developed as a residential area to relieve the congestion in Male. Although the area is more attractive than Malé in terms of vegetation and beaches, the Malé population is slow to move there, preferring to stay in the capital. Another spectacular project was launched in May 2004 to relieve congestion in Malé: Hulhumalé. Connecting the Club Med island to the airport, this artificially enlarged island could eventually accommodate 150,000 Maldivians. This titanic work was carried out with the help of giant pumps that suck up the sand and spit it back into the lagoon, day and night. For many Maldivians, the construction of Hulhumale was a good idea, given the critical conditions in the capital. Today, the government, with Chinese technological and financial help, is connecting the airport and Hulhumale to Male by a bridge. With 120,000 people crammed into 1.5 km², Male is the most densely populated city in the world, and therefore not the most pleasant to live in. It feels crowded and suffocating, something that a tourist visiting Male will quickly realise. Rents are extremely expensive, and entire families are living in two-room apartments at US$1,000 a month. It doesn't get much more cramped than that.Malé is so small that it was impossible to build an airport there. So airliners land on the neighbouring island of Hulhule, a few kilometres away. This island was for years the second home of the sultans, and was home to the Giraavarus, the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Maldives, who were moved to Male when the airport moved to Hulhule. The international airport of Malé, opened in 1981, is composed of a single runway, which begins and ends in the water. The landing is particularly impressive. Until the last moment, you will be convinced that the plane is rushing into the water, then suddenly you will feel the wheels touching the asphalt. As soon as you leave the plane, along the airport jetty, dhonis are waiting to take you to Malé or the island of your choice. Here again, impressive work is underway. An artificial runway designed to receive A380s is under construction as well as a taxi area and a car park. The current airport is overcrowded and it is not uncommon to have to wait at the end of the runway for a space to be freed up on the tarmac to be able to take passengers off.

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Vue aérienne de Malé. Sakis Papadopoulos
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