Tiptoeing around paradise

I’VE just spent a few days in the world’s flattest country. The islands that make up the Republic of Maldives are truly remarkable. Do you know that the main island which holds the capital city Male is one of the world’s most densely populated? It’s actually pretty tiny, just 2km from one end to the other. In fact, it took me longer to walk from the terminal gate at KLIA2 to the Skybus than it did the length of Male.

Most of the rest of the Maldives are isolated, sparsely populated and downright paradisiacal. Unfortunately, Maldives’ low-lying statute is threatening its very future. Climate change activists estimate that at the current rate of rising sea levels, most of Maldives could be underwater in another 70 to 80 years.