Republic of Maldives ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ (Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyya)
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Gaumii salaam "National Salute"
Capital		Malé 4°10′30.65″N 73°30′38.14″E / 4.1751806°N 73.5105944°E / 4.1751806; 73.5105944
Official language(s)		Dhivehi
Ethnic groups		≈100% Dhivehis[1][2][3] (excluding foreigners)
Demonym		Maldivian
Government		Presidential republic
-	President	Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik
-	Vice President	Mohammed Waheed Deen
-	Speaker	Abdulla Shahid
-	Chief Justice	Ahmed Faiz
Legislature		People's Majlis
Independence
-	from United Kingdom	26 July 1965
-	Current constitution	7 August 2008
Area
-	Total	298 km2 (206th) 115 sq mi
-	Water (%)	≈100% (land negligible)
Population
-	January 2012 estimate	328,536 [4] (175th)
-	Density	1,102.5/km2 (11th) 2,855.4/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$2.841 billion[5]
-	Per capita	$8,731[5]
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$1.944 billion[5]
-	Per capita	$5,973[5]
HDI (2011)		0.661[6] (medium) (109th)
Currency		Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)
Time zone		(UTC+5)
Date formats		dd/mm/yy
Drives on the		left
ISO 3166 code		MV
Internet TLD		.mv
Calling code		960

Maldives (ⁱ/ˈmɒldaɪvz/ or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, Dhivehi Raa'je), officially Republic of Maldives (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, Dhivehi Raa'jeyge Jumhooriyya), also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep Islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India. During the colonial era, the Dutch referred to the country as "Maldivische Eilanden" in their documentation, while "Maldive Islands" is the anglicised version of the local name used by the British, which later came to be written "Maldives".

The archipelago is located on top of the Chagos-Maldives-Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean. Maldives also form a terrestrial ecoregion together with the Chagos and the Lakshadweep.^[7] The atolls of Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), making it one of the world's most geographically dispersed countries. Its population of 328,536 (2012) inhabits 200 of its 1,192 islands.^[8] Maldives' capital and largest city Malé had a population of 103,693 in 2006.^[9][10] It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll, in the Kaafu Atoll. It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties were enthroned.

Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the planet's lowest country.^[11] It is also the country with the lowest natural highest point in the world, at 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in);^[11] the Maldives' forecast inundation is a great concern for the Maldivian people.

Etymology[link]

The name Maldives may derive from Mahal'deeb, in Sanskrit or maalai theevu (மாலை தீவு ) in Tamil. The Maldivian people were called Dhivehin. The word Dheeb/Deeb (archaic Dhivehi, related to Sanskrit dvīpa (द्वीप)) means "island", and Dhives (Dhivehin) means "islanders" (i.e., Maldivians). During the colonial era, the Dutch referred to the country as Maldivische Eilanden in their documentation, while Maldive Islands is the anglicised version of the local name used by the British, which later came to be written as "Maldives".^{[citation needed]}

The ancient Sri Lankan chronicle Mahawamsa refers to an island called Mahiladiva ("Island of Women", महिलादिभ) in Pali, which is probably a mistranslation of the same Sanskrit word meaning "garland". The Mahawamsa is derived from an even older Sinhala word dating back to the 2nd century BC.^{[citation needed]}

Some^[who?] theorise that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit mālādvīpa (मालाद्वीप), meaning "garland of islands". In Malayalam, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as Maladhweepu (മാലദ്വീപ്). In Tamil, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as MalaiTheevu (மாலைத்தீவு).^[12] None of these names is mentioned in any literature, but classical Sanskrit texts dating back to the Vedic period mention the "Hundred Thousand Islands" (Lakshadweepa), a generic name which would include not only the Maldives, but also the Laccadives, Aminidivi Islands, Minicoy and the Chagos island groups.^[13]