Maldives

The Maldives ( /ˈmɒldaɪvz/ (help·info) or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raa’j) or Maldive Islands, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island country consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between Minicoy Island and the Chagos Archipelago, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean. The twenty-six atolls of Maldives encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, of which two hundred islands are inhabited.[3]
The original inhabitants were Buddhist, probably since Ashoka's period,[citation needed] in the 3rd century BC. Islam was introduced in 1153. The Maldives then came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 it became a British protectorate. In 1965, the Maldives obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands"), and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a Republic.
The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level,[4] it is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).

Capital
Malé
Official languages
Dhivehi
Demonym
Maldivian
Government
Presidential republic
-
President
Mohamed Nasheed
-
Vice President of Maldives
Mohammed Waheed Hassan
-
Speaker of the Majlis
Abdulla Shahid
-
Chief Justice
Abdulla Saeed
Independent

from United Kingdom
26 July 1965
Area
-
Total
298 km2 (206th)115 sq mi
-
Water (%)
negligible
Population
-
July 2006 estimate
309,000 (176th1)
-
2006 census
298,842[1]
-
Density
1,105/km2 (8th)2,862/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$1.708 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$4,950[2]
GDP (nominal)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$1.259 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$3,648[2]
HDI (2007)
▲0.741 (medium) (100th)
Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)
Time zone
(UTC+5)
Drives on the
left
Internet TLD
.mv
Calling code
960

1 Etymology of "Maldives"
2 Geography
3 History
3.1 Since Independence in 1965
3.2 2004 Tsunami
3.3 2008 election of President Nasheed and Vice President Dr. Waheed
4 Politics
5 Administrative divisions
6 Demographics
7 Economy
7.1 Tourism
7.2 Fishing industry
7.3 Agriculture and Cottage industries
8 Judiciary
9 Military of Maldives
9.1 Coast Guard
10 The Indian Ocean Commission
11 Language and culture
12 See also
13 References
14 External links