As it can be seen from the air, the Maldive islands are either reefs fully covered by the water during high tide (and just appearing out of it during the low tide), or relatively larger islands, most of which are covered with rich tropical greenery. The latter are divided in two main categories: the inhabited islands are used solely for residence and other daily activities purposes of the locals, while the uninhabited ones include both these completely undeveloped and those used for tourist resorts. It is clear that resort islands are categorised identically to the undeveloped ones, thus creating a peculiar ghetto situation: no tourist activities interfere with the life of the locals, whereas the tourists spend their holidays on isolated premises, away from the presence of locals.

Most of the pictures in this sub-gallery have been taken on (and around) our resort island, Filitheyo, but quite many have been shot during an one-hour boat trip to the nearby inhabited island of Bilhedhoo.