Maldives

Republic o Maldives
ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ

(Divehi Rājjey ge Jumhūriyyā)

Banner Emblem
Naitional motto:
Location o the Maldives
Offeecial leid	Dhivehi
Caipital	Malé
Lairgest ceety	Malé
Govrenment Heid o State -	Presidential republic Preses Mohamed Nasheed
Area	298 km2 115 sq mi
Population	396,334
Foondin	Frae the Unitit Kinrick 26 Julie 1965
Siller	Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)
Time zone
Naitional anthem	Qaumii salaam "Naitional Salute"
Naitional flouer
Patron saunt
Internet TLD	.mv
Cawin code	960

The Maldives (/ˈmɒldaɪvz/ ( listen) or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ , Dhivehi Raa'je), offeecially Republic o Maldives, is an island naition in the Indian Ocean formed bi a double chain o twintie-sax atolls stretchin in a north-sooth direction aff Indie's Lakshadweep islands, atween Minicoy Island an Chagos Archipelago. It staunds in the Laccadive Sea, aboot seiven hunder kilometres (435 mi) sooth-wast o Sri Lanka an (250 mi) sooth-wast o Indie.

This chain o islands is the centrally locatit archipelago amang the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group o islands, which are in reality the tops o a vast unnersea submarine muntain range, in the Indian Ocean an the Arabian Sea. The atolls o the Maldives encompass a territory spread ower roughly 90,000 square kilometres, makin it ane o the maist dispersed kintras in the warld in geographic terms. It features 1,192 islets, o which twa hunder are inhabitit. The Republic o Maldives's caipital an lairgest ceety is Malé, wi a population o 103,693 (2006). It is locatit at the soothren edge o North Malé Atoll, in the Kaafu Atoll. It is an aa ane o the Administrative diveesions o the Maldives. Tradeetionally it wis the Keeng's Island, frae whaur the auncient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled an whaur the palace wis locatit.

The Maldives are the smawest Asian kintra in baith population an land aurie. Wi an average grund level o 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) abuin sea level, it is the lawest kintra on the planet. It is an aa the kintra wi the lawest heichest point in the warld, at .3 metres (7 ft 7 in).