Malé is the capital of the Republic of Maldives and is regarded as one of the smallest capitals of the world in terms of physical size. The city, an exotic blend of ethnicity and modern values, is a place with high-rise buildings and good infrastructure. Malé, pronounced ‘Maa-lay’, is home to over 80,000 inhabitants.

Distinguished by a tropical climate, which ranges from humid to dry, Malé boasts of pleasant weather for most of the year. Monsoons make their presence felt from March through November. The climate is largely influenced by the monsoon winds.

Formerly, Malé was an enclosed city with numerous forts but it was remodelled to become an urban centre of trade. Today, the city is a commercially active zone with tourism being the largest industry, followed by fishing and agriculture.