The Most Humid Country in the World Is a 24/7 Suana

With the onset of summer, spending time outdoors can be quite miserable. Whether it’s a quick walk to the car or a jog outdoors, summer can be difficult to manage. Humidity doesn’t make this any better either as it only makes it harder for your body to cool down. Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor that is in the air, and humidity levels vary given different climates and locations. If you are planning on traveling in the summer and want to avoid the brutal heat, keep reading!

Most Humid Country in the World

To give some background, humidity is measured in percentages that represent how much of the atmosphere’s water-holding capacity is being used. For example, a humidity of 30% would mean that the air is using 30% of its water-holding capacity! When the air gets hotter in the summer, the atmosphere is able to contain more water, thus increasing the humidity. A comfortable humidity in any temperature is somewhere around 30%-50%. With this knowledge, let’s explore the most humid country in the world.

The Maldives is considered the most humid country in the entire world! The Maldives are located south of India in the Central Indian Ocean. This country consists of somewhere around 1,200 individual islands. The Maldives is located on the equator and is an extremely hot and humid country. With temperatures rising to the mid-90s in the hottest months between March and May, the Maldives has an extremely humid climate. The Maldives as a nation will typically range in the 70% area for humidity. With the monsoon season occurring around May, the humidity will only increase, sometimes getting to 95%. This makes going outside very difficult, as the heat gets to be too unbearable. With such high humidity, the ways people stay cool and the wildlife you can find there are very interesting!

Wildlife of the Maldives

The Maldives gets its humidity from the water surrounding the islands. Since the ocean completely encases the country, water that evaporates into the air becomes water vapor, thus increasing humidity. This climate allows for an interesting blend of wildlife both on land and in the ocean. Tropical climates such as the Maldives are home to a wide variety of unique wildlife, so keep reading to learn more.

Fruit Bats

Fruit bats are a species of bat that can be found hanging around the Maldives. Typically seen at night, these nocturnal animals use the dark to their advantage when searching for food. While bats may be a bit scary, fruit bats are completely harmless to humans unless provoked, so take care when observing these fun animals.

Some fun facts about fruit bats! Fruit bats are the only mammal that has the ability to fully fly. Rather than having the ability to glide, these bats’ wings can span up to three feet, making them good flyers! Fruit bats are also a bit different than other bat species. Typically, a bat will use its sonar system to find food, but fruit bats rely heavily on their sense of smell and limited vision to find their food.

Cats

Cats are not native to the Maldives. When cats got to the islands by humans is unknown, but these cats add a bit of cuteness to any trip. You can especially find these cuties in resorts. Have fun interacting and playing with the cats while relaxing at the beautiful resorts in the Maldives.

Snakes

There are multiple species of snakes in the Maldives. The common wolf snake (Lycodon aulicus) is all around the islands, so watch your step when walking around! Other snakes include the blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus), which is normally not a threat to humans. The snakes slither around the islands, but won’t typically be around active human areas.

Frogs

Frogs are all over the Maldives, and interacting with them can make any trip more enjoyable. Examples include the short-headed frog (Sphaerotheca rolandae) and the Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) are all over the islands. These frogs are in every corner of the islands such as the grass, trees, beaches, and rocks. Keep an eye out for these frogs as you’re walking around to experience some of the wildlife of the Maldives.

Turtles

The Maldives is home to a number of different sea turtle species. These include the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and the loggerhead (Caretta caretta). Sadly, many of these turtles are endangered, so try not to interact with them. These turtles use the beaches of the Maldives to set up nests for their babies. You can help conservation efforts for these turtles by staying distant from them and protecting their nests!

Birds

With over 100 species of birds throughout the Maldive Islands, there is plenty to talk about. Some of the most common or interesting species include the sandpiper (Scolopacidae), the Frigate bird (Fregatidae), and raptors (Accipitridae). These birds are all over the islands with some being land birds and others being ocean birds. The sandpiper has a very interesting hunting style that makes it stand out! By using its foot and splashing around in the water, the prey it is hunting will move around, thus making it more visible. If you’re an avid bird watcher, there are lots of wonderful birds to be seen in the Maldives.

Fish

Being an island nation, the Maldives are surrounded by waters full of marine life. With over 2000 species of fish throughout the Maldives oceans, there is an abundance of fish to explore. By doing some diving by the many coral reefs, you can see many fish such as rays, eels, butterfly fish, snappers, tuna, and many more! The fish of the Maldives is very diverse because of its climate. Because of its warmer climate, fish enjoy swimming around the warm water. With the sheer amount of fish, especially tuna, one of the Maldives’ sources of income is the fishing industry. Whether you want to swim with the fish or go fishing yourself, there are plenty of ways for you to spend time with the wonderful marine life of the Maldives.

Sharks

Sharks are another common find in the oceans of the Maldives. One species that is a tourist attraction by itself is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). These sharks live in the waters of the Maldives, and divers are able to swim around with them. They eat plankton and small fish, but they can grow up to 18-32 feet in length! The largest ever recorded whale shark ended up being 61 feet long! If you enjoy diving and want a hands-on experience with the wildlife of the Maldives, try swimming with sharks on your trip!

Echinoderms 

Echinoderms, also called marine invertebrates, are found in the waters of the Maldives. These invertebrates include starfish (Asteroidea), sea urchins (Echinoidea), and sand dollars (Clypeasteroida). This marine life is extremely fun to interact with, and it lives in the coral reefs around the islands. Sand dollars are all over the beaches as well. When high tides come in the afternoon, sand dollars tend to wash up with it, and as the tide recedes, the sand dollars are unable to make it back to the water. Sand dollars can only survive a few minutes out of the water. When they dry up, sand dollars turn into beautiful trinkets for souvenirs, such as necklaces.

Summary of the Most Humid Country in the World

The Maldives is the most humid country on Earth! Given its tropical climate and the oceans that surround it, the Maldives’ humidity can get unbearable at times. This unique environment, though, is the home of an abundance of wildlife that you can explore on your trip to the Maldives!

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