World Factbook
Maldives
Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
298 sq km
water
0 sq km
total
298 sq km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Terrain
flat coral atolls, with white sandy beaches; sits atop the submarine volcanic Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Land use
other
67.7% (2023 est.)
forest
12.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
19.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 13.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 3.4% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Coastline
644 km
Elevation
lowest point
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point
8th tee, golf course, Villingi Island 5 m
mean elevation
2 m
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2012)
Map references
Asia
Land boundaries
total
0 km
Maritime claims
note
note: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
tsunamis; low elevation of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise
Geography - note
smallest Asian country; archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); strategic location along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
Natural resources
fish
Area - comparative
about 1.7 times the size of Washington, D.C.
Geographic coordinates
3 15 N, 73 00 E
Population distribution
about a third of the population lives in the centrally located capital city of Male and almost a tenth in southern Addu City; the remainder of the populace is spread over the 200 or so populated islands of the archipelago