The Gallery
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Maldives
The Republic of Maldives comprises some 1,200 islands grouped in 26 atolls across 500 miles of the Indian Ocean. Few of the islands are larger than one square kilometer, and only 200 are inhabited. The Maldives’ economy was entirely based on fishing until tourism began to make its mark in the 1990’s. But the islands’ low elevation made them especially vulnerable to the tsunami of 2004 which flooded and destroyed everything in its path.
Here, on the tiny island of Himmafushi, life is returning to normal. Red, white and green Maldivian flags hang from balconies, and the air is heavy with the scent of hibiscus flowers.
Mahmoud, six, peers warily at an approaching stranger, unaware of how closely the skin of his cherimoya (green mango) matches the gate to the family garden.