Two years later, the island celebrated the arrival of its first 1,000 residents. Phase one of Hulhumalé’s land reclamation, consisting of 188 hectares, began in 1997 and was completed in 2002. ![]() “Malé is one of the most densely populated cities on Earth,” said Kate Philpot, who worked as a science officer in the Maldives, researching reef fish for the Korallion Lab marine station, before becoming senior ecologist at UK-based consultancy Ecology By Design. Ongoing land reclamation using millions of cubic metres of sand pumped from the seabed has raised the new island more than 2m above sea level, while the island’s growing City of Hope is seen as a vital new settlement to relieve the over-crowding that currently blights Malé, where more than 130,000 people cram into 1 square mile (just more than 2.5 sq km). “Hulhumalé is being developed through careful considerations of climate change in its architecture and communities.” “After the 2004 tsunami, a programme for enhancing resiliency through safer islands was introduced,” explained Areen Ahmed, director of business development at the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) that oversees the City of Hope. There’s also worries over encroaching salty seas tainting precious fresh water sources, plus risks posed by unpredictable natural disasters, like the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 100 people in the Maldives. Lack of job opportunities is another, driving youth unemployment to more than 15%, according to a 2020 report by the World Bank.Īs well as the long-term threat of submersion, increasing coastal erosion also threatens the 70% of infrastructure – homes, other buildings and utilities – located within 100m of present shorelines. With more than 500,000 inhabitants scattered across the archipelago, delivery of services is one resource-draining logistical nightmare. Yet, few who come to the Maldives on short luxurious breaks will think about the pragmatic social issues Hulhumalé aims to solve. Pre-Covid, curious tourists could visit the new island city as it takes shape around 8km from the capital city of Malé by hopping on a 20-minute bus from the airport over the bridge. Instead, the Maldives turned to a different form of geo-engineering: creating a 21st-Century city, dubbed the “City of Hope”, on a new, artificial island christened Hulhumalé. That plan gave way to considering whether it might be best to work with the sea rather than against it, by building floating urban developments – as has been done in cities like Amsterdam. Back in 2008, then-president Mohamed Nasheed made global headlines by announcing a plan to buy land elsewhere so his citizens could relocate should islands become submerged. ** Source for population (2012 est.) and GDP (2011 est.) is CIA World Factbook.But Maldivians are determined to fight back to preserve their existence. Major Imports: petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods National Anthem or Song: Gaumee Salaam (National Salute)Įconomy of Maldives Major Industries: fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand miningĪgricultural Products: coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes fish ![]() National Holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965) Languages Spoken: Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials The People of Maldives Type of Government: republic Geographical High Point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 mĬlimate: tropical hot, humid dry, northeast monsoon (November to March) rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) General Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches Geographical Coordinates: 3 15 N, 73 00 E Size Comparison: about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC The Geography of Maldives Total Size: 300 square km
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |