OF THE MALDIVE ISLANDS. 49 
The islands vary in size, from mere tiny banks that barely 
escape being awash, to such islands as Ghang in Haddumati 
atoll, which is 5 miles long. It appears that some islands 
are in process of formation, and are constantly increasing in 
size, while others are washing away. The islands are rarely 
more than about 5 feet above high water mark. 
Many islands contain fresh water lagoons, and most have 
fresh water at a little depth, easily obtainable by sinking 
wells. The surface soil is, as might be expected when we 
know that all the islands are of purely reef formation, a 
light sandy loam, but much of the surface is bare coral 
rock on which a little humus has collected. 
The sand where it is most fertile invariably overlies coral 
rock ; the latter retains the water to some extent and seems 
richer than the sand in the necessary chemical constituents 
(or the plant obtains them more easily). 
The climate is that of similar regions in other^ parts of the 
globe ; equatorial, moist, equable, with a mean temperature 
probably of about 81® F., a climate in fact like that of the 
extreme south-west of Ceylon, The rainfall is greater in 
the southern atolls, probably about 150 inches in Addu, and 
there is less violent wind and a more equable humidity. 
The northern are more subject to the regular Indian mon- 
soons, and hurricanes are sometimes experienced. 
All islands that have any available ground for vegetable 
growth are more or less covered with plants, often with a 
dense jungle of the same general type as the coast jungle of 
south-west Ceylon. Most of the islands of any size are 
inhabited and cultivated. The most conspicuous cultiva- 
tion is that of cocoanuts. The cultivations carried on are 
mentioned in detail below. The northern and the southern 
atolls are more fertile than the central, and the eastern than 
the western islands of all atolls. A few islands produce 
plants which have not been successfully cultivated in others 
of the group ; thus Furadu, in the central portion of Ari 
atoll produces pineapples of very poor quality. 
