President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that there are 186 inhabited islands in the Maldives and that it is not possible to develop “all” islands.

He said this while speaking to students from Princeton University in the United States on Thursday, as part of his ongoing visit to attend the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) in the states.

Taking the podium at the event, the Maldivian leader said that Maldives has 1,100 islands out of which 186 are inhabited. This, he said is a relatively large number.

Muizzu stressed that the government cannot focus on developing the 186 islands.

Shedding light on his development vision, Muizzu said that he plans to develop urban centers in different regions of the country and populate these areas.

As such, the president said that the government plans to establish urban centers in different regions of the Maldives, some in the capital region, some in the north, some in the south. He said he also plans on building housing, creating jobs, developing all types of industries and populating these regions.

However, Muizzu did not specify how many urban centers he plans to develop in the Maldives.

Shedding light on his plan to develop Ras Malé as one of the islands being developed under this plan, Muizzu said that the island will be the country's second artificial island.

Further, he said that Ras Malé is being developed as a smart city, which will run entirely on renewable energy and incorporate artificial intelligence and digital technology.

The president called for support from the international community in developing Ras Malé.

Further, he highlighted that other urban centers would be developed similarly and that this is the way forward. President Muizzu added that assistance from all parties is needed in this endeavor.