Male, city, capital, and largest community of Maldives, on Male Atoll, in the Indian Ocean, near the equator. It is the nation's chief administrative and economic center and its main commercial port. Fish canning is a principal economic activity; some trade exists in locally produced coconut and palm products, and a tourist industry is here. The city is linked by ship with Sri Lanka, and a modern international airport is at nearby Hulule. Male was part of a British protectorate from 1887 to 1965, when it became the capital of the newly independent Maldive Islands (renamed Republic of Maldives in 1968). Population (1995 estimate) 62,973.
