EXAMINE THIS REPORT ON MALDIVES

"It is more powerful than hemp," wrote Ibn Battuta, "and is utilized to sew collectively the planks of Sindhi and Yemeni dhows, for this sea abounds in reefs, and if the planks ended up mounted with iron nails, they'd crack into parts when the vessel strike a rock. The coir offers the boat better elasticity, to make sure that it would not break up.