Male, Maldives. October 2009 Male, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, as seem from a plane. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square kilometers.

Hulhule , Maldive. October 2009 The capital city of Male, as seen from Hulhule island, where Male International Airport is located. Both islands are about one meter above sea level.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere metre above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Hulhumale, Maldives. October 2009 Hulhumale is a reclaimed island located in the south of North Male Atoll. The artificial island was reclaimed by dredging the shallow waters of the preexistent lagoon and filling the coral reef flat with sand. Hulhumale was built 2 meters above sea level (1 meter higher than Male) with the purpose of hosting the displaced inhabitants of Male should their island be flooded.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Hulhumale island, Maldives. October 2009. A safari boat in flames in Hulhumale harbor. Hulhumale is a reclaimed island located in the south of North Male Atoll. The artificial island was reclaimed by dredging the shallow waters of the preexistent lagoon and filling the coral reef flat with sand. Hulhumale was built 2 meters above sea level (1 meter higher than Male) with the purpose of hosting the displaced inhabitants of Male, should their island be flooded.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Thilafushi island, Maldives. October 2009 Thilafushi island, also known as a rubbish island, was originally a vast lagoon. It was reclaimed in 1992 using waste as the filling material to solve Male's unmanageable refuse problem. Few Bengali immigrants work at the waste disposal centre in Thilafushi. Their job basically consists of indicating to the numerous dump trucks where to unload the waste. They then incinerate part of the waste or bury the majority of it in landfill sites. No recycling is carried out and hazardous wastes are not sorted from common rubbish.

Vilingili island, Maldives. October 2009 Fishermen in the Maldives are seriously concerned about the effects of climate change on marine life. A rise in sea water temperature, a delay in the start of the monsoon season and acidification of the ocean are endangering the fragile marine ecosystem of the country, thus affecting one of the main sources of income such as fisheries (20% of national GDP). It is estimated that about 22,000 individuals are involved in full-time fishing activities.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Male photographed by the sea at high tide.

Hulhumale, Maldives. October 2009 An inhabitant of the temporary housing estates were part of the Maldivian population affected by 2004 tsunami was relocated. After 5 years people still live in these shacks. A reclaimed island, Hulhumale was built 2 meters above sea level by dredging the shallow waters of the preexistent lagoon and filling the coral reef flat with sand. It will host Male population should their island be flooded.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Male, maldives. October 2009 Male powerhouse is a diesel power plant and it is the largest facility in the Maldives. It provides electric energy to the whole capital, delivering power night and day.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Male, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters.

Thilafushi island, Maldives. October 2009 Thilafushi island, also known as a rubbish island, was originally a vast lagoon. It was reclaimed in 1992 using waste as the filling material to solve Male's unmanageable refuse problem. Thilafushi receives all the solid waste produced by the overcrowded capital city (103.693 inhabitants in 2006 ) and the nearby atolls and resorts. In 2006 Thilafushi received 109,400 tonnes of waste. Waste is still used for reclamation on the seaward side and the mass land of the landfill has now an area of about 474,000 square meters (more than 5.1 million square feet).

Kuramathi island, Maldives. October 2009 Due to the presence of three resorts, the number of tourists on this island is very high. Even though Kuramathi is only two hours away by boat from the international airport, many visitors choose the air taxi for their transfers.

Male, maldives. October 2009 In Male commercial harbor, goods unloaded from cargo ships are sorted and shipped to different islands by local boats called dhoni. In the Maldives almost everything has to be imported.

Hulhumale, Maldives. October 2009 A reclaimed island, Hulhumale was built 2 meters above sea level by dredging the shallow waters of the preexistent lagoon and filling the coral reef flat with sand. It will host Male population, should their island be flooded.

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere metre above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male© has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Built on an island that rises a mere meter above sea level, the capital city is one of the most densely populated in the world. Nearly 104,000 people cram on 5,798 square meters. Male reached the peak of its expansion through the reclamation of its coastal zone in all directions beyond the coral reef. The shallow waters were filled with sand and stones, thus compromising the role of the coral reef as a natural protection from floods and swells. Exposed to the threats of high tides, Male has been ringed by a massive concrete barrier system financed by Japan at the total cost of nearly US$ 60 million (US$ 10,000 per meter). The seawall is 6 kilometers long (3.72 ml) and 3.5 meters high (11,5 ft).

Male, Maldives. October 2009 Ferry Terminal.