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Maldives (

The Maldives is a South Asian island country located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. It consists of 26 atolls stretching over 1,190 kilometers, making it one of the world's most geographically dispersed countries. With an average ground elevation of just 1.5 meters above sea level, the Maldives has the lowest average elevation of any country in the world. The archipelago has been historically and culturally linked to South Asia since the 4th century BCE and was Islamized in the 12th century. It became a British protectorate in 1887 before gaining independence in 1965. Fishing and the growing tourism industry are the primary economic activities for the low-lying country, which faces severe

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76 views1 page

Maldives (

The Maldives is a South Asian island country located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. It consists of 26 atolls stretching over 1,190 kilometers, making it one of the world's most geographically dispersed countries. With an average ground elevation of just 1.5 meters above sea level, the Maldives has the lowest average elevation of any country in the world. The archipelago has been historically and culturally linked to South Asia since the 4th century BCE and was Islamized in the 12th century. It became a British protectorate in 1887 before gaining independence in 1965. Fishing and the growing tourism industry are the primary economic activities for the low-lying country, which faces severe

Uploaded by

Adzkiya Az Zahra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Maldives (/mldivz/, /mldivz/, /mldavz/ or /mldavz/),[13] officially the Republic of

Maldives (Maldivian: , Dhivehi Raa'jeyge Jumhooriyya), is a South Asian island


country, located in the Indian Ocean, situated in the Arabian Sea. It lies southwest
of India and Sri Lanka. The chain of twenty-six atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the
north to the Addu City in the south. Comprising a territory spanning roughly 298 square
kilometres (115 sq mi), the Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed
countries, as well as the smallest Asian country by both land area and population, with a little
over 393,500 inhabitants. Mal is the capital and most populated city, traditionally called the
"King's Island" for its central location.

The Maldives archipelago is located atop the Chagos-Maldives-Laccadive Ridge, a vast


submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean, which also forms a terrestrial ecoregion,
together with the Chagos and the Lakshadweep.[14] With an average ground-level elevation of 1.5
metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level,[15] it is the world's lowest country, with even its highest natural
point being the lowest in the world, at 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in).[15] Due to the subsequent risks posed
by rising sea-levels, the government has pledged to make the Maldives a carbon-neutral country
by 2019.[16]

The Maldives have been historically and culturally linked to the Indian subcontinent since the
fourth century BCE. The Maldivian archipelago was Islamised in the 12th century and
consolidated as a sultanate, developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa.
From the mid 16th-century, the region came under the increasing influence of colonial powers,
with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United
Kingdom was achieved in 1965 and a presidential republicwas established in 1968 with an
elected People's Majlis. The ensuing decades have been characterised by political instability,
efforts at democratic reform,[17] and environmental challenges posed by climate change.

The Maldives is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC). It is also a member of theUnited Nations, the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation and the Non Aligned Movement. The World Bank classifies the Maldives as having
an upper middle income economy.[18] Fishing has historically been the dominant economic
activity, and remains the largest sector by far, followed by the rapidly growing tourism industry.
Along with Sri Lanka, it is one of only two South Asian countries rated "high" on the Human
Development Index (HDI),[19] with its per capita income the highest among SAARC nations.

The Maldives was a Commonwealth republic from July 1982 until its withdrawal from the
Commonwealth in October 2016 in protest at international criticism of its records in relation to
corruption and human rights.

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