Housing and critical infrastructure in the Maldives, including five airports and 128 harbors, are concentrated along coastlines. With roughly 104,000 people residing within 2.2 square miles (5.8 square kilometers), North Malé Atoll encompasses some of the most densely populated islands in the world. Some 191 of the country's 358 inhabited islands have fewer than 5,000 people, 5 and about one–third of all residents live in the capital city of Malé on North Malé Atoll. 3) The lack of topography in the Maldives makes it one of the nations most vulnerable to rising sea level and coastal flooding. (The Republic of Kiribati, in the Pacific Ocean, is not far behind-see the Kiribati hot spot. 2 With no ground surface higher than 9.9 feet (3 meters), and 80 percent of the land area lying below 3.3 feet (1 meter) above average sea level, the Maldives is the flattest country on Earth. Known for its white sand beaches and extensive coral reefs, the Republic of Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, consists of 1,190 islands and draws over 600,000 tourists annually. The Maldivian government has identified many potential strategies for adapting to rising seas, but is also considering relocating its people to a new homeland.4, 9 If sea level were instead to rise by 3 feet (1 meter), the Maldives could be almost completely inundated by about 2085. Given mid–level scenarios for global warming emissions, 17 the Maldives is projected to experience sea level rise on the order of 1.5 feet (half a meter)-and to lose some 77 percent of its land area-by around the year 2100.Sea level rise is likely to worsen existing environmental stresses in the Maldives, such as periodic flooding from storm surge, and a scarcity of freshwater for drinking and other purposes.4, 9, 16, 18 Today, the white sand beaches and extensive coral reefs of the Maldives' 1,190 islands draw more than 600,000 tourists annually. As the flattest country on Earth, the Republic of Maldives is extremely vulnerable to rising sea level and faces the very real possibility that the majority of its land area will be underwater by the end of this century.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |