The environment has a direct affect on all facets of a Maldivians life.The islands are protected by thousands of reefs that need to be alive for this unique archipelago to exist in future. The corals on our reefs need its countless inhabitants to feed on them for the corals to re-grow. Locals need the fish in the water for livelihood and they depend on the beauty of its reefs and islands to sustain our tourism industry. the Maldives has its own wonderful natural environment as one of the most magical places on earth.

Weather and Climate
The weather in the Maldives is usually picture perfect: sunlit days, breezy nights, balmy mornings, and iridescent sunsets. The temperature hardly ever changes - which makes packing for your holiday an easy task (see what to pack). With the average temperature at about 30 degrees Celsius throughout the year, the sun is a constant on most days, shining through treetops, creating lacy patterns on your feet, healing cold-bones with its warmth. Throughout the day, the sun will make itself known,ensuring that it will be remembered and missed, like an old friend, as you pack up your suitcases to leave.

Maldives has two distinct seasons;dry season (northeast monsoon) and wet season (southwest monsoon), with the former extending from January to March and the latter from mid-May to November.

Language
The language of the Maldivians is Dhivehi, a language which is placed in the Indro-Indian group of languages. Dhivehi with its roots in Sanskrit and according to some researchers Elu, an ancient form of Sinhala, (spoken in Sri Lanka), is strongly influenced by the major languages of the region. The language has been influenced heavily from Arabic since the advent of the Islam in 1153 and English in more recent times, especially since the introduction of English as a medium of education in the early 1960s.

Given the wide dispersion of islands it is not surprising that the vocabulary and pronunciation vary from atoll to atoll, with the difference being more significant in the dialects spoken in the southernmost atolls. The Maldivian script known as thaana was invented during the 16th century soon after the country was liberated from Portuguese rule.Unlike former scripts thaana is written from right to left. This was devised to accommodate Arabic words that are frequently used in Dhivehi. There are 24 letters in the alphabet.

Family Life
A system of extended families provide a safety net for members of a family going through a difficult period. In addition to the parents other members of the family also contribute in the care of children.Traditionally men go out fishing during the day and women are responsible to look after the affairs of the family and vary often the community. This remains so even today in smaller island communities.

Religion
Since Maldives embraced Islam in 1153, Island has been central to the life of Maldivians. The main events and festivals of Maldivian life follow the Muslim Calendar. From infancy children are taught the Arabic alphabet. Religious education is provided both at home and at school.Islam is part of the school curriculum and is taught concurrently with other subjects.

Art And Craft
The beautifully carved tombstones in some of the old cemeteries and the fine stone carving of the Hukuru Miskiiy in Male bear witness to the intricate skills of Maldivian stone carvers of the past.Maldivians are deft craftsman producing beautifully crafted pieces mostly out of what is available locally. Although many of the skills have been passed on from generation to generation and lives on even today.The art calligraphy has strong connections with the Islam. Old and new mosques display beautifully penned versus from the Holy Quran. The Islamic Center exhibits some of the finest samples of the work of modern calligraphers in the country. While many crafts have become obsolete, others have found new life with the advent of tourism. The production of ornaments from tortoise shells and black coral once valued by visitors has now ceased completely because of the growing careness among the public on the need to preserve the environment.

Wooden Lacquer Ware
Perhaps the most distinctive of the Maldivian handicrafts, these are almost exlclusively produced in Thulhaadhoo in BaaAtoll. Liye Laajehun as it is called in Dhivehi involves the process of shaping and hollowing out pieces of wood to form beautifully crafted boxes, container sand ornamental objects. Made from the local funa, (Alexandrian laurel) which grows abundantly throughout the country, they come in various shapes and sizes;small pillboxes, vases of various sizes to round and oval plates with lids.These elegant pieces are lacquered in strands of red, black and yellow resin and delicately carved with flowing flowery patterns.

Boat Building
Although the tools used in the building of dhoni shave changed, little has changed of its basic design. As in the past, the boat sare still being built without a documented plan. The design and symmetry of the boat emerges as the boat is being built. Imported hardwoods are used in the place of coconut wood, which was used in place of coconut wood, which was use din the past to make the hull. Copper rivets are used to hold the planks together instead of coir, which was used for the purpose even half a century ago. The square sail made of coconut fronds gave way to a triangular late ensail. Even though this is still considered essential and is carried on board,it is used only during emergencies or to ease the strain of the engines. Almost all Dhonis are driven by diesel power.

Dhoni sare mainly used for fishing and provide the live hood for a large proportion of the population. Others are modified to be used for transportation of passengers. A dhoni may be as small as 10ft. (3 m) used mostly to travel across short distances or to traverse the shallow waters of the lagoon. Islanders often use these ferry across to nearby islands for firewood. The average fishing dhoni used to be around 10 metres (33 feet), however the new generation fishing vessels can be twice the size or even larger. The basic design of dhonis has proven to be seaworthy as it has been tested and tuned for centuries. Even the luxury cruise vessels that are built in the country uses the same basic hull design and can be as long as 30 meters (100 feet) or more.