Maldives — map and facts

About Maldives

The Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, situated southwest of Sri Lanka and India. It has a population of approximately 520,000 people, of whom around 200,000 reside in or near the capital, Malé, one of the world's most densely populated cities. The country is a presidential republic; the president serves as both head of state and head of government. The Maldives is among the most geographically dispersed nations in the world, with its 26 natural atolls and approximately 1,200 coral islands spread across roughly 90,000 square kilometres of ocean, of which only about 300 islands are inhabited. Tourism is the dominant sector of the economy, supported by fisheries, particularly tuna. Maldivian GDP and government revenues depend heavily on tourism-related activity. The Dhivehi language and Islam are central to national identity; Islam is the state religion and citizenship is legally restricted to Muslims. The Maldives is widely considered among the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Geography and Landscape

The Maldives consists of a double chain of atolls running roughly north to south across the equator, spanning approximately 860 kilometres in length but only about 130 kilometres in width at its widest point. The islands are among the lowest-lying in the world, with an average elevation of only approximately 1.5 metres above sea level; the highest natural point is only around 5 metres above sea level on Addu Atoll. The atolls are formed on top of an ancient submerged volcanic mountain range. Each atoll consists of coral reef enclosing a lagoon, with islands scattered along the reef rim or within the lagoon. The Indian Ocean surrounds the archipelago entirely, and the islands experience warm tropical waters year-round. The Equatorial Channel and One and Half Degree Channel are among the major navigational passages separating the atoll groups. The climate is tropical with two monsoon seasons: the southwest monsoon from May to October and the northeast monsoon from November to April, the latter being drier and calmer.

History

The Maldives has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years, with early settlers believed to have come from South Asia, possibly Sri Lanka and southern India. The islands appear in historical records of Arab, Persian, and Chinese traders from the early centuries CE. The Maldives converted to Islam in 1153 CE, traditionally attributed to the influence of a Moroccan scholar named Abu al-Barakat, and has remained Muslim since. The islands were ruled by a series of sultanates, with the Sultanate of the Maldives functioning as a tributary state under Portuguese influence from 1558 to 1573 before reasserting independence. The Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887, a status it maintained until independence on 26 July 1965. The Sultanate continued briefly after independence before a republic was declared in 1968. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled the country for 30 years from 1978 to 2008. The country's first multi-party democratic elections were held in 2008. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused significant devastation across the archipelago, damaging or destroying numerous islands and displacing tens of thousands of people.