The English archaeologist HCP Bell visited Malé 1920 and even then complained about the overpopulation of the island town where 5,000 people lived back then. Today there are 104,403 (Booth: 2006). This represents one third of the total population of the Maldives.
In Malé are the main hospitals, all secondary schools in the island state, authorities and the government. Here is the headquarters of the security forces (the Maldives have no military) and the center of industry and trade. The harbor is constantly busy.
Although Malé is geographically located in Male' Atoll, Kaafu Atoll, administratively it is not considered part of it. A commercial harbour is located in the Island. It is the heart of all commercial activities in the country. Many government buildings and agencies are located on the waterfront. Malé International Airport is on adjacent Hulhule Island which includes a seaplane base for internal transportation. Several land reclamation projects have expanded the harbour.
The island is heavily urbanized, with the city taking up essentially its entire landmass. Slightly less than one third of the nation's population lives in the capital city. Many, if not most, Maldivians and foreign workers in Maldives find themselves in occasional short term residence on the island since it is the only entry point to the nation and the centre of all administration and bureaucracy.
The town is divided into four divisions; Henveiru, Galolhu, Maafannu and Macchangolhi. The nearby island of Vilingili, formerly a tourist resort is the fifth division (Male'viligili) considered by the government.
Malé was struck by tsunami that followed the Indian Ocean earthquake on December 26, 2004, which swept across the western coast of Sumatra and flooded two-thirds of the city with its waves. The earthquake and subsequent tsunamis reportedly killed over 220,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean.
On 29th September 2007 a bomb exploded near a mosque in Malé injuring 12 foreign tourists. It was the first known bombing in the history of the Maldives
Male' is the busiest place for shopping, given the choice and variety of goods available in this center of commercial activity. Local and imported handicrafts and souvenirs, cigarettes and electronic items are sold. The prices in Male' have now become highly competitive, with minimum or no duty levied on most items. Most of the souvenir shops are in the main business area which is only a five-minute walk from the jetty where most tourists usually arrive. It is always better to browse through a few shops before choosing what to buy. The shops recommended by guides or shop assistants volunteering to be guides are not necessarily the best places for shopping.
Duty Free shops at Male' International Airport offer high quality electrical and electronic goods, cameras, hi-fi stereo equipment, watches and cosmetics along with cigarettes and other merchandise.
Despite the concentration of population in Male', it is immaculately clean and hygienic. The Maldivian tradition of sweeping the roads early in the morning remains even in the urban capital. The ambience of this small, unsoiled semi-urban environment with the historical sites and a museum with artifacts of the distinctive Maldivian culture dating as far back as 5000 BC, has unexpectedly caught the imagination of many a visitor such as Thor Hyerdal.
