The Maldives is an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, made up of nearly 1,200 low lying coral islands grouped into 20 atolls. Widely described as the world’s lowest lying country, it has become both a symbol of luxury tourism and a frequently cited case study in the risks of sea level rise.

Where Is the Maldives Located?

The Maldives sits in the north central Indian Ocean, roughly 480 kilometers southwest of India and 650 kilometers southwest of Sri Lanka, according to the Maldivian government.

Geography of the Maldives

The country consists of 1,192 islands, of which 187 are inhabited, spread across 20 administrative atolls, per the government’s 2024 statistical pocketbook. Average elevation is no more than about 2 meters above sea level, and total land area is only around 208 to 300 square kilometers, even though the country’s exclusive economic zone spans 859,000 square kilometers of ocean. Its coral reefs cover roughly 4,500 square kilometers, close to 5 percent of the world’s total reef area, ranking among the largest reef systems on Earth and supporting hundreds of coral species and well over a thousand fish species, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Peer reviewed marine science research shows that these reef islands are not simply eroding but are dynamic landforms that have adjusted their shape in response to sea level change over centuries.

A Brief History of the Maldives

The islands converted to Islam in 1153, after which a distinctive Islamic Indian Ocean culture developed, evidenced today by coral stone mosques built between 1657 and 1815 that UNESCO has placed on its tentative World Heritage list. The Maldives passed through a period as a British protectorate before gaining independence in 1965 and later becoming a republic.

Government and Economy

The Maldives is a republic with an executive president and a unicameral legislature, the People’s Majlis, whose members serve five year terms representing Malé and the 20 atoll divisions.

Tourism dominates the economy, contributing about 21 percent of GDP directly according to the World Bank, with broader estimates in peer reviewed research putting its total economic contribution, direct and indirect, much higher. Tourist arrivals reached a record 2.05 million in 2024. Real GDP grew 5.5 percent that year, though the World Bank also flags rising fiscal pressure, including a widening deficit and public debt projected to exceed 130 percent of GDP by 2027.

Culture and People

Dhivehi is the national language, and Islam is the country’s official religion. The 2022 census recorded 515,132 residents, including 382,639 Maldivian nationals and 132,493 foreign residents.

What Is the Maldives Known For?

Internationally, the Maldives is known for two connected things: its luxury tourism industry, built around turquoise lagoons and reef ecosystems, and its status as the world’s lowest lying country, which has made it a recurring symbol in global discussions of climate change and sea level rise. Because it is a nation with no single dominant built landmark, the most representative and well documented public place is Malé, the capital, one of the most densely built up islands on Earth, urbanized to its very shoreline. Its aerial image is a recurring reference point in geography and climate coverage of the country. The Baa Atoll, designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011, is another strong candidate for the Maldives’ defining natural feature, home to Hanifaru Bay, one of the largest documented manta ray feeding aggregations in the world.

Why the Maldives Matters

The Maldives matters both as a real world test case for how low lying island nations adapt to rising seas, a subject of ongoing peer reviewed coastal geomorphology research, and as a reminder that reef ecosystems on the scale of the Maldives’ own reef system, among the largest in the world, provide coastal protection and biodiversity value well beyond the tourism revenue they generate.

Key Takeaways

• The Maldives is an archipelago of nearly 1,200 coral islands across 20 atolls in the Indian Ocean.
• It is widely described as the world’s lowest lying country, with an average elevation of no more than about 2 meters.
• Its coral reef system covers roughly 4,500 square kilometers, close to 5 percent of the world’s total reef area.
• Tourism directly contributes about 21 percent of GDP, with 2.05 million visitor arrivals recorded in 2024.
• Malé, the capital, is one of the most densely built up islands in the world and the country’s most photographed populated place.

Sources

• Government of Maldives, Atolls of Maldives portal, https://www.atollsofmaldives.gov.mv/
• Maldives Bureau of Statistics, “Statistical Pocketbook of Maldives 2024,” https://statisticsmaldives.gov.mv/mbs/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Statistical-Pocketbook-of-Maldives-2024-edited-08.10.2025.pdf
• Food and Agriculture Organization, “Profile and Status of Coral Reefs in Maldives,” https://www.fao.org/4/x5627e/x5627e0a.htm
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Tentative List, “Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives,” https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5812/
• World Bank, Maldives Country Overview, https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/maldives/overview.print
• World Bank, Maldives Development Update 2025, https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/maldives/publication/maldives-development-update-2025
• UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, “Baa Atoll,” https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/baa-atoll

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed September 28, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue