Male, Maldives

Male is the largest city in the Republic of Maldives, a chain of 1200 or so low-lying islands south-west of India. One of the world’s smallest capitals, it is nevertheless home to a third of the Maldives’ population and boasts big-city-style skyscrapers and shop-lined main streets. Protected from a capricious ocean by sea walls, it’s a green, pleasant mini-metropolis surrounded by isles renowned for white-sand beaches and world-class snorkelling and diving.