Editing Malé (section)

===Islands of Malé City===
# Malé (Central Island)
# [[Hulhulé]] (Airport Island)
# [[Hulhumalé]]
# [[Villingili (Villimalé)|Villimalé]]
# [[Gulhifalhu]]
# [[Thilafushi]]
# [[Giraavarufalhu]]

The central part of the city is formed by the island of Malé. Six more islands form part of the city which includes [[Hulhulé]], [[Hulhumalé]], [[Villingili (Villimalé)|Villimalé]], [[Gulhifalhu]], [[Thilafushi]] and [[Giraavarufalhu]].

A commercial harbour is located on the central island and serves as the heart of all commercial activities in the country. Velana International Airport is located on the Island of Hulhulé.<ref name="Pub-173">{{Cite book|author=National Imagery and Mapping Agency (US) |year=2002 |chapter=Sector 5. The Laccadive Islands and the Maldive Islands |title=Sailing Directions (Enroute): India and the Bay of Bengal |series=United States Navy Publication 173 |edition=seventh |publisher=United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency |location=Bethesda, Maryland |pages=109&ndash;110 |url=http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/pollux/pollux.nss.nima.mil/NAV_PUBS/SD/pub173/173sec05.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201192202/https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/pollux/pollux.nss.nima.mil/NAV_PUBS/SD/pub173/173sec05.pdf |archive-date=1 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The central island is heavily urbanised, with the built-up area taking up essentially its entire landmass.<ref name="Pub-173" /> Slightly less than one-third of the nation's population lives in the capital city, and the population has increased from 20,000 people in 1987 to 100,000 people in 2006. Many [[Maldivians]] and foreign workers living in other parts of the country find themselves in occasional short-term residence on the island since it is the centre of administration and bureaucracy. Most of the population of Malé live in small houses or apartment complexes, often shared with external family or roommates. This led to the development of Hulhumalé and the extension to Phase 2.

The Indian expatriate community in the Maldives stands as the second-largest, comprising around 27,000 individuals. Among them, a substantial portion consists of construction workers, doctors, nurses, health professionals, and teachers, who play vital roles in the Maldivian infrastructure, healthcare, and education sectors. Additionally, Indian and Bangladeshi nationals contribute significantly as skilled workers, alongside a sizable presence of unskilled laborers, as well as other professionals and members of the business community.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Jul 2022 |title=India-Maldives Bilateral Relations |url=https://mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/India-Maldives_2022.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502005830/https://mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/India-Maldives_2022.pdf |archive-date=2 May 2023 |access-date=21 July 2023 |website=[[Ministry of External Affairs (India)]]}}</ref>