Republic of the Maldives
Southern Asia
Turquoise · Coral · Idyllic
Maldives (officially Republic of the Maldives) is a country located in Southern Asia. Its capital city is Malé, with other major cities including Addu City and Fuvahmulah. With a population of approximately 520,000, the main language spoken is Dhivehi. The country covers an area of 300 km². The official currency is the Maldivian rufiyaa (.ރ). Traffic drives on the left side.
The Maldives is the world's lowest-lying country, with an average ground elevation of just 1.5 m above sea level — making it the nation most immediately threatened by rising sea levels due to climate change.
Malé serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Maldives, positioned in Southern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Addu City, Fuvahmulah — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Malé is the world's most densely populated island city — 220,000 people on 5.8 square kilometres of land that averages 1.5 metres above sea level — a capital so space-constrained that the government created Hulhumalé, an artificial island, to accommodate population overflow, in a country where the highest natural point is 2.4 metres above sea level and the entire national territory faces submergence from sea level rise.
With a population of approximately 520,000, Maldives is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Dhivehi, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Maldives is reached via the dialling code +960. Maldivians maintain a distinct Dhivehi language and Islamic identity on 200 inhabited atolls scattered across 90,000 square kilometres of Indian Ocean — a maritime civilisation that converted from Buddhism to Islam in the 12th century and whose seafaring tradition produced the dhoni boat design still used for local transport in waters that no road could serve.
Maldives spans 300 km², in the Southern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 3.3°N, 73.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the Maldivian rufiyaa (.ރ), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Maldives's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+05:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Volleyball holds a special place in the heart of Maldives's national identity. Football and volleyball are Maldives's primary sports in a country where traditional boduberu drum and dance performances function as athletic-competitive cultural events, while the sport of bashi (similar to tennis played with the hand on a field) represents an indigenous game that women traditionally played on the islands before modern imported sports arrived.
The highest point in Maldives is Unnamed high point (Addu Atoll), rising to 3 metres above sea level. Maldives sits atop one of the world's largest coral reef systems — over 2,000 coral species in waters that have experienced severe bleaching events during the 1998 El Niño and subsequent warming — while the underwater wall dives at Banana Reef and Maaya Thila are consistently ranked among the world's finest dive sites, making Maldives the country whose tourist economy is most directly coupled to the health of a marine ecosystem.