Male is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. The city is geographically located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll (Kaafu Atoll). Administratively, it is a city-class constituency and is governed by the Malé City Council. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located. The city was then called “Mahal”. Formerly it was a walled city surrounded by fortifications and gates (doroshi).

In this handout GOES satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Irene reaches hurricane strength as it moves across Puerto Rico towards Hispaniola August 22, 2011 in the Caribbean Sea. Irene, the first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, brought torrential rains and winds to Puerto Rico, downing trees and powerlines and flooding streets. The expected path will bring Irene through the Bahamas and is likely to hit Florida and up the east coast of the U.S. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)

Rioters scuffle with police on a street in Mongkok district of Hong Kong, Tuesday, February 9, 2016. Rioters clashed with police overnight and into the early hours of Tuesday in a crowded area of Kowloon. The unrest started when local authorities tried to prevent street food sellers from operating on Monday night. Activists who are dissatisfied with Hong Kong's administration took part in the clashes, local media reports said. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

In this handout image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), model runs from the Center for Tsunami Research at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory show the expected wave heights of the tsunami as it travels across the Pacific basin March 11, 2011. The largest wave heights are expected near the earthquake epicenter, off Japan. The wave will decrease in height as it travels across the deep Pacific but grow taller as it nears coastal areas. In general, as the energy of the wave decreases with distance, the near shore heights will also decrease (e.g., coastal Hawaii will not expect heights of that encountered in coastal Japan). (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)

A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021. The United States said Saturday it would ramp up deportation flights for thousands of migrants who flooded into the Texas border city of Del Rio, as authorities scramble to alleviate a burgeoning crisis for President Joe Biden's administration. (Photo by Paul Ratje/AFP Photo)

Two Iranian women walk past a mural depicting a flying dove at a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 November 2021. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Islamic Republic is ready to return to nuclear talks in Vienna before the end of November. Iran also proposed to the US administration to lift the sanctions and to start negotiations. Iran is facing an economic crisis under US heavy sanctions following the United States' withdrawal from a nuclear deal in 2018. (Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/EFE)

Tourists crowd a water park in Wuhan city, central China's Hubei province on July 15, 2017. Days of heat wave drove many citizens to the water park for fun and coolness. Nanchang has become the new four “furnace cities” in China according to a ranking of the hottest cities released by the China Meteorological Administration on July 9. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A woman looks at La Paz city from the Jacha Qhatu cable car station in El Alto, July 23, 2015. Bolivia already has the largest urban cable car system in the world. Now the booming country is tripling the size of the network and will soon have nine lines whizzing above the administrative capital of La Paz. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)