Male’ City, Before and After Congestion (Part 1)

Malé City is a maze. Scattered with narrow streets and lego-like buildings, everyone would agree that the dense capital city of the Maldives is now overpopulated. And many would agree that centralisation is the cause of this overpopulation. 

Years of concentrating development in the capital and neglecting the other islands have forced people to migrate to Male’ City for basic necessities. As a result, many are now unable to afford appropriate housing.

The latest statistics for 2020 show that 227,486 people are living in Male’. And 37% of students in the Maldives also live in this city.

Historian Naseema Mohamed wrote that the Male’ city used to be called Mahal, also known as King’s Island. This is because, in ancient times, Malé was home to royals of the ancient dynasties. After the monarchy was abolished, the entire island was remodeled in 1968. 

The modern-day Malé City is divided into six divisions: Henveiru, Galolhu, Maafannu, Macchangoalhi, the nearby island Viligilli (Villimalé), and the artificial island Hulhumalé. 

The pictures of Malé captured over 40 years ago tell a very different story. The island was covered in palm trees and greenery. Now, the city is urbanized with little greenery and the streets are congested with traffic.