Maldives Map

The Maldives is a chain of coral atolls in the Indian Ocean, beginning roughly 400 km southwest of India's southern tip and running about 870 km north to south, across the equator. Its land area is only 298 square kilometers, the smallest of any Asian country, scattered over some 1,190 islands of which fewer than 200 are inhabited and roughly 170 more are given over to resorts. About 530,000 people live here (UN World Population Prospects, 2025 estimate), and the 2022 census found around two-fifths of residents in the Greater Malé area. The Maldives is also the lowest-lying country on Earth: average ground level is about 1.5 meters above the sea, and the highest natural point, on Villingili island in Addu Atoll, is usually given as about 2.4 meters.

Atolls, reefs and channels

The islands sit on top of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a submarine mountain chain that continues north as India's Lakshadweep islands and south to the Chagos Archipelago. Geographers count 26 natural atolls: rings of reef enclosing lagoons, broken by deep channels (kandu) through which ocean currents and plankton flow. Those channels are why the diving is so good, drawing manta rays and whale sharks to sites in Ari and Baa atolls; Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll, a manta feeding ground, lies within a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The islands themselves are piles of coral sand and rubble on the reef flat, so the health of the reef and the islands' survival are closely tied. Coral bleaching during marine heatwaves (notably in 1998, 2016 and 2024) is a recurring threat.

For government, the atolls are grouped into 20 administrative atolls, each known by a letter code as well as its name (Kaafu, for example, is the atoll around Malé), together with city councils for Malé and the larger southern and northern islands. The southernmost atolls, Gaafu Dhaalu, Fuvahmulah and Addu, lie just south of the equator.

Monsoons and when to go

Temperatures barely change through the year, staying around 26-31°C, so the seasons are set by the monsoon winds. The northeast monsoon (iruvai), roughly December to April, brings the driest, sunniest weather and calmer seas, and is the peak tourist season. The southwest monsoon (hulhangu), roughly May to November, brings more rain, squalls and choppier water, though there are many dry days and prices fall. Surfers favor the southwest season, when swells reach breaks near Malé and in the southern atolls. The far south gets more evenly spread rain than the north.

Malé and the main islands

• Malé - The capital occupies an island of about 2 km² that is almost entirely built over. The city council area also includes Villimalé and Hulhumalé, a large reclaimed island built since the late 1990s to relieve crowding; the Sinamalé Bridge, opened in 2018, links Malé to the airport island of Hulhulé and on to Hulhumalé.
• Hulhulé - Home to Velana International Airport, the main gateway; most resort guests continue from here by speedboat or seaplane.
• Addu City - The second city, on the southernmost atoll (about 25,000 people in the 2022 census). Its islands are joined by a causeway, and Gan was a British air base until 1976.
• Fuvahmulah - A single large island forming its own atoll, unusual for having freshwater lakes and wetlands; divers come for its tiger sharks.
• Kulhudhuffushi - The main town of the northern atolls, with a regional airport opened in 2019.

History that shaped the islands

The islands were settled from South Asia and were Buddhist until the 12th century, when the ruler converted to Islam; a sultanate then lasted, with interruptions, for some 800 years. The Portuguese briefly held Malé in the 16th century, and from 1887 the Maldives was a British protectorate, managing its own internal affairs. It became independent on 26 July 1965 and abolished the sultanate to become a republic in 1968. The first resort opened in 1972, and tourism has since grown into the main source of income and foreign exchange, with skipjack and yellowfin tuna, traditionally caught by pole and line, the main export. The country held its first multi-party presidential election in 2008. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami flooded much of the country and caused heavy damage, a reminder of how exposed the islands are to the sea; land reclamation and coastal defenses such as Malé's sea wall are now a central part of planning.

Dhivehi, an Indo-Aryan language related to Sinhala, is written in Thaana, a right-to-left script whose letters partly derive from Arabic numerals. Islam is the state religion, and the constitution requires citizens to be Muslim. Boduberu drumming and the dhoni, the traditional wooden boat, remain everyday sights. Politically the country balances ties with India, its nearest large neighbor, and China; President Mohamed Muizzu, elected in 2023, campaigned on removing Indian military personnel, who were replaced by civilian technicians in 2024.