Causes And Challenges Of Internal Migration:Maldivians In Malè

Malè;the capital of Maldives is overcrowded because of the continuous migration of people from Atolls.This has made the city a hostile place to live with many social and economic problems.This research focuses on finding the main causes of internal migration and living standard of those immigrants in Malè.The study had used a questionnaire as a research instrument for data collection and 250 respondents were selected through simple random sampling techniques from the five wards of Malè.The data of this study were collected through questions which looked into demographic backgrounds,questions on the reasons to migrate from atolls to Malè and questions about the wealth,housing and the living standard in Malè.The data indicated numerous reasons influence migration from atolls to Malè.It was found out that employment opportunities was the main reason why people choose to migrate to Malè.The research findings also have provided a clear understanding of the living quality of immigrants from the atolls.It is found that overcrowding and poor housing is experienced by the immigrants.This paper also intends to discuss the implications of the findings and draw conclusions which may be useful to policy makers on developmental planning of Maldives.