 In this era of widespread social disintegration, the people of the Maldives demonstrate remarkable social harmony and balance. Traditionally a caste society, Maldives today is emerging as a homogenous social order where modernization seems to be making a positive impact.
Maldives society has always been a fascinating mixture of various ethnic races, customs, festivals, lifestyles and tradition. Over the years, Maldives, an idyllic paradise in the Indian Ocean, has absorbed the cultural and social attributes of different races. Its society very artfully blends traditional flavors with modern provisions.
In the past, a significant gap existed between the elite living in Male, the capital, and the rest of the population inhabiting the outer islands away from the main city. The gap resulted in social disharmony and unrest where the inhabitants of the ‘outer' communities felt as if they were being left out from the economic development that Maldives was going through. However, today things are different. Former President Gayoom's development philosophy which centered on decreasing this gap by raising the standard of living among the 75 percent of Maldivians who live in the outer atolls has integrated well into the society.
The country's society consists of a number of ethnic races that include the natives of the island as well as those who have migrated and settled on its soil.
For years, Male was a traditional seat of the sultans and the nobility and was home to an elite society that wielded political and economic power. Today, 40 percent of Male's population comprises immigrants from several other countries. Experts maintain that with tourists flocking to the country, this number is likely to increase.
However, in spite of rapid social integration of the two distant and distinct societies in Maldives, physical boundaries remain intact. Society is designed in such a way that the outer islands remain aloof from the tourism activities in Male. This limits interaction between people living in the other islands and those residing in the capital. This isolation does not contribute to social tensions anymore. It seems as if the people have adapted to their specific social roles according to the area they live in.
The reasons for this acceptance can be attributed to the economic well-being that the outer communities now enjoy. The island communities outside Male are in most cases self-contained economic units, drawing sustenance from the sea around them. Islanders are in many instances interrelated by marriage and form a small, tightly knit group whose main economic pursuit is fishing. Boat owners, as employers, also dominate the local economy and, in many cases, provide an informal, but effective, link to Male's power structure.
Social scientists also attribute the aloofness of the two sections from each other to the impact of a very modern tourist culture in Male as a reason for effective acceptance of the island communities to remain within their social parameters. Socially these communities have very strong family units which cater to the needs of balanced living. Moreover, religious unity also keeps the people bonded as almost all of them are Muslims.
Even in today's highly globalized world, Maldives society is influenced to a great extent by the cultural traits of the races which inhabit the island rather than being enveloped by the fast changing world. 
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