Wasser_Ari-Atoll_Maldives_aerial

Atolls, Ari Atoll, Maldives
Coral reefs encircle lagoons – in the centre of the large Ari Atoll, there are many ring structures of these micro atolls. The Maldives sit on an old volcanic mountain range that sank into the sea millions of years ago. The volcanic islands were settled by corals around the coasts. When the volcanoes became extinct, they were eroded by wind and water and disappeared under the sea. The corals however kept growing.