03Islands & Atolls

The capital

Malé, an island tight with buildings

Malé is the capital of the Maldives and its most populous city. The city had 211,908 residents in 2022 on about 1.9 square kilometres, making it one of the world’s densest cities. The island sits on the southern rim of North Malé Atoll, and its buildings rise above the harbour rather than above a resort beach. Here you see capital architecture: the Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy) in Porites coral stone, completed in 1658 after work began in 1656, and included in the coral-stone mosques Tentative List file for UNESCO. Nearby rises the Islamic Centre—the Mosque of Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu Al Auzam—with a white dome and minaret, opened in 1984 and holding about 5,000 worshippers. The administrative city also includes the airport islands and reclaimed islands such as Hulhumalé. One day in Malé is enough for harbour, skyline, and mosques as architecture before you leave by boat for a quieter atoll. Do not confuse the capital with a resort island: distances here are alleys and waterfronts, not a walkway over a villa.

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Malé population

1.9

City area

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Islamic Centre capacity