Location: Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India.

The Maldive islands stretch from the southern tip of India down to the equator. There are 1,196 coral islands spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers and 26 atolls of the Indian Ocean, making this one of the most disparate countries in the world.

• Position: degree of latitude: 07° 06'30" N to 00° 41'48" S and degree of longitude: 72° 32'30" E to 73° 45'54" E westside of India and Sri Lanka.
• Range: in length approx. 750 km (from north to south) / in width approx. 120 km (from west to east)
• Land territory: 1,196 mostly deserted island with a total area of approx. 298 km².
• The islands are very flat and are in average 1.8 m above sea level.
• Distances: shortest distance to India: approx. 340 km and to Sri Lanka approx. 700 km.

Geographic coordinates:

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 300 km²
land: 300 km²
water: 0 sq km

Coastline: 644 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Vilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m (the Maldives are the flattest country in the world, i.e. they have the lowest highest-point of any country the world).

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 84% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise

Environment - current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: 1,196 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean.

The biggest island of the Maldives is Fuvahmulah, which is a single island and single atoll located in the southern part of the Maldives known the Gnaviyani atoll. In Addu atoll most of the islands are connected by roads over the reef and the total length of the road is 12 km.

See also : Atolls of the Maldives

external links

• Map of the Baa atoll