Maldives Islands

The Maldives Islands is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean comprising today's Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep of India.The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India.

Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the planet's lowest country.[12] It is also the country with the lowest natural highest point in the world, at 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in).[12] Not surprisingly, forecasts of Maldives' inundation are a great concern for the Maldivian people.

The culture of the Maldives as we know it today developed and flourished sometime around the 3rd century BC, as a 1,400 year-long Buddhist period cemented a foundational importance in the island's history.Due to its strategic location, the Maldives secured the interest of Middle Easterners, and by the 10th century AD trade routes were established and Islam was introduced to the region.

Despite being ruled by an independent Islamic sultanate for centuries, the Maldives were taken over by the Dutch in the mid-17th century, and were almost promptly driven out by British forces some years later.As a British protectorate, the Maldives were given military protection, as well as a non-interference in local administration.At the emergence of a proposed constitutional monarchy, conflict erupted, and the people of the Maldives pushed for independence.The Maldives successfully gained their freedom from the United Kingdom in 1965, and three years later, declared itself an independent republic.

Los Roques archipelago

Los Roques archipelago

Los Roques is located 156 kilometers north of Venezuela's central coast, between 11°43’ and 11°58’ latitude north and 66° 53’ and 66° 57’ longitude west. The entire park has an area 2.251 KM2 spreading 46 kilometers from east to west and 26.6 kilometers from north to south.

The Los Roques islands are a federal dependency of Venezuela, consisting of about 350 islands, cays or islets. The Islas Los Roques have an atoll structure, with two external barriers formed by coral communities, too, an inner lagoon and sandy shallows.The existence of numerous keys provides a variety of marine settings which go from sand beaches, rock beaches with strong surf, bays with still water, coastal reef or barrier, mangrove swamp areas, lagoons and salt mines, among others. There is no doubt that the marine setting of Los Roques is one of the most beautiful and special of the Caribbean and of the world and that its coral reefs are among the best preserved. The archipelago is protected by two reef barriers: One that goes from north to south by some 24 kilometers and protects the archipelago from eastern currents and a second barrier that runs some 32 kilometers from east to west.Los Roques is similar in size to that of the complete Northern Caribbean Virgin Islands.

These islands had been sighted by early European navigators and in 1589 the then governor of the Venezuelan province ordered the formal takeover of these islands on behalf of the colony. The Dutch considered Los Roques to belong to their island territory of Curaçao because of its proximity to Bonaire which also belonged to the Dutch. The author M.D. Teenstra in 1836 still writes (in his book "The Dutch West Indies"): The Government of Curaçao also includes the uninhabited islets and rocks Little Curaçao, Aves, Roques and Orchilla. In 1871 the then president Antonio Guzmán Blanco created by decree the Territorio Colón (Columbus territory) which included Los Roques and other adjacent islands. The island of Gran Roque was named as the center of territory government