The local brew is raa, a sweet and delicious toddy, tapped from the palm trees. In fact, fish and coconuts are about the only products that do not have to be imported. Poor soil and lack of cultivable land limit agriculture. Export-oriented industries include tuna fish canning and manufacture of garments. However, a severe shortage of labor in the tourism sector has resulted in the decline of most of these industries.
Tourism remains the major source of foreign currency and the dominant support for the economy.
It was known as the Sultan's Island in the past. It also includes the Islamic Center. This grand mosque with its dominant golden dome decorates the fa ade of Mal . It can accommodate over five thousand worshippers at a time. The old Friday Mosque, with its unique minaret and the tombs of national heroes and members of royalty resting in the quietness of its compound, gives the visitor a glimpse of the past.