Malé Island

     Malé (4°10'N 73°1'E) is the capital of the Maldives (which became the Republic of Maldives in 1965). It is located on the island of Malé (previously known as the Sultan’s Island) in the North Malé Atoll, in the Maldives, an archipelago of approximately 1200 islands, of which 200 are inhabited. The island is 2km by 1km in size.
     In 1961 the Maldive Islands issued three stamps with the same design, a map of Malé which the Scott catalog says shows population distribution. Because only the country of issue and the words “A Map of Malé” on the left side of the stamps all the writing is in Arabic script, including the color key to the map, it is unclear what characteristic is being distributed (age, income, education). The coat of arms of the Republic of Maldives is pictured in the upper right corner.