Maldives

Kirthan from India - Maldives - 06.12.2010

Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls. 

The Maldives was dominated from the mid sixteenth century by colonial powers: Portugal, the Netherlands, and Britain. In 1965, the Maldives gained independence from the British, becoming a republic. It was then ruled by a sultanate and an authoritarian government. 

The atolls of Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square km, making it one of the world's most geographically dispersed countries. Its population of 328,536 (2012) inhabits 200 of its 1192 islands. 

Maldives' capital and largest city Malé had a population of 103,693 in 2006.

Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5m above sea level, it is the planet's lowest country. It is also the country with the lowest natural highest point in the world, at 2.4m.

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