Word: maldivian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...dramatic aerial photo of the Maldivian city of Malé showed not only the vulnerability of low-lying settlements to rising oceans but also one of the contributors to global warming. The island's dense urban surface of streets and buildings leaves scant room for vegetation, which absorbs heat-trapping carbon dioxide. A sea wall may protect Malé from flooding, but more trees and parks would help as well...
...regular inundation by storm-generated waves and unusually high tides. Still, it won't take much of a rise in sea level--between 6 in. and 1 ft., says Ahmed Ali Manik, senior environmental analyst in the Ministry of Environment and Construction--before the southwestern corner of the Maldivian capital will be threatened by the same problem. And a 3-ft. rise would allow the biggest tides to wash over the whole city...
With help from the Japanese, the Maldivian government has shored up Malé's perimeters with sea walls and breakwaters (at a cost of $60 million, about 10% of the nation's gross domestic product in 2002). It has also taken steps to protect the living coral breakwaters that shield the rest of the island chain. Among other things, it has banned the mining of coral stone that for centuries has been used by villagers to construct mosques and houses. But what the government can't control is the temperature of the surrounding ocean--and that does not bode well...
...enacted, the proposals would mean an overnight transition from authoritarian rule to something approaching democracy. But opposition groups remain skeptical. Mohammed Latheef, self-exiled head of the Maldivian Democratic Party who now lives in Sri Lanka, alleges that detention and torture of opposition figures goes on and notes that the constitution already has clauses?pretty much unobserved?on democracy and elections. "We can't get too excited," says Latheef. "This is just paperwork...
...embodiment of the Maldivian ideal is the Soneva Fushi resort on the island of Kunfunadhoo, a 35-minute journey by seaplane, northwest from Male. The development (motto: "No shoes, no news") specializes in rustic chic: there are TVs, minibars, quadraphonic sound and a spa, but all are hidden in well-spaced thatched villas tucked in a beachfront jungle. Floors are sand or tiled, electronics are concealed and furniture is rough-hewn wood or rattan. Guests also dress to blend in. But then, why would you need to show off when just being there sets you above hoi polloi: the cheapest...