Map of Maldives
Maldives is a country in Asia with its capital at Malé, home to about 529,676 people across 298 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns and 1 ports recorded for Maldives in YearMaps.
- Population
- 529,676
- Area
- 298 km²
- Capital
- Malé
- Continent
- Asia
Interactive Map of Maldives
Centred on Malé at 4.1667° N, 73.4999° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea. The Maldives is located southwest of India and Sri Lanka, about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.
The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Its land area is only 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi), but this is spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi) of the sea, making it one of the world's most spatially dispersed sovereign states. With a population of 515,132 in the 2022 census, it is the second least populous country in Asia and the ninth-smallest country by area, but also one of the most densely populated countries. The Maldives has an average ground-level elevation of around 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, and a highest natural point of only 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in), making it the world's lowest-lying country. Some sources state the highest point, Mount Villingili, as 5.1 metres or 17 feet.
Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island", where the ancient royal dynasties ruled from its central location. The Maldives has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. Documented contact with the outside world began around 947 CE when Arab travellers began visiting the islands. In the 12th century, partly due to the importance of the Arabs and Persians as traders in the Indian Ocean, Islam reached the Maldivian Archipelago. The Maldives was soon consolidated as a sultanate, developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa. From the mid-16th century, the region came under the increasing influence of European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United Kingdom came in 1965, and a presidential republic was established in 1968 with an elected People's Majlis. The ensuing decades have seen political instability, efforts at democratic reform, and environmental challenges posed by climate change and rising sea levels. The Maldives became a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the second largest sector, behind the rapidly growing tourism industry.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Maldives (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Maldives
A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887 and a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated Maldives' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. After political demonstrations in the capital Male in 2003, GAYOOM and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Political parties were legalized in 2005. In 2008, a constituent assembly -- termed the "Special Majlis" -- finalized a new constitution ratified by GAYOOM. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held later that year. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist whom the regime had jailed several years earlier. In 2012, after several weeks of street protests in response to a top judge's arrest, NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. A government-appointed Commission of National Inquiry concluded that there was no evidence of a coup, but NASHEED contended that police and military personnel forced him to resign. NASHEED, WAHEED, and Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom ran in the 2013 elections with YAMEEN ultimately winning the presidency after three rounds of voting. In 2018, YAMEEN lost his reelection bid to parliamentarian Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH. YAMEEN was arrested and jailed in 2022 on corruption charges. Maldives' fourth democratic election was held in September 2023. The winner, Male City Mayor Dr. Mohamed MUIZZU, campaigned on a platform of Maldivian sovereignty, vowing to remove Indian military personnel from the country. MUIZZU represents a joint Progressive Pary of Maldives and People's National Congress (PPM/PNC) coalition.
- Location
- Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India.
- 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.
- Highest point
- 8th tee, golf course, Villingi Island 5 m.
- Lowest point
- Indian Ocean 0 m.
- Coastline
- 644 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Natural resources
- Fish.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 19.8% (2023 est.); arable land: 13.4% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 3.4% (2023 est.); forest: 12.5% (2023 est.); other: 67.7% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Tsunamis; low elevation of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise.
- Geographic 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.
- Languages
- Dhivehi (official, closely related to Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English (spoken by most government officials)
- Religions
- Sunni Muslim (official)
- Ethnic groups
- Homogeneous mixture of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, Australasian, and African resulting from historical changes in regional hegemony over marine trade routes.
- Economy
- Upper middle-income Indian Ocean island economy; major tourism, fishing, and shipping industries; high public debt; systemic corruption; crippled by COVID-19; ongoing deflation; poverty has tripled since pandemic began.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Maldives in Numbers
- Population
- 529,676
- GDP
- US$7.7 billion
- GDP per person
- US$14,615
- Life expectancy
- 81.3 years
- Population growth
- 0.35% a year
- Population density
- 1,771 per km²
- Urban population
- 42.5%
- Surface area
- 300 km²
- Forest cover
- 12.5%
- Arable land
- 13.1%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 85.2%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Maldives in Depth
History
In the 6th–5th century BCE, kingdoms already existed in the modern-day Maldives. The country has an established history of over 2,500 years according to historical evidence and legends.
The Mahāvaṃsa (300 BCE) has records of people from Sri Lanka emigrating to the Maldives. Assuming that cowrie shells come from the Maldives, historians believe that there may have been people living in the Maldives during the Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1300 BCE). Several artefacts show the presence of Hinduism in the country before the Islamic period.
Geography
The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, that stretch along a length of 871 kilometres (541 miles) north to south, 130 kilometres (81 miles) east to west, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), of which only 298 km2 (115 sq mi) is dry land, making this one of the world's most dispersed countries. It lies between latitudes 1°S and 8°N, and longitudes 72° and 74°E. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometres (600 mi) long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs north to south.
Economy
Historically, the Maldives provided enormous quantities of cowry shells, an international currency of the early ages. From the 2nd century CE, the islands were known as the "Money Isles" by the Arabs. Monetaria moneta was used for centuries as a currency in Africa, and huge amounts of Maldivian cowries were introduced into Africa by western nations during the period of slave trade. The cowry is now the symbol of the Maldives Monetary Authority.
In the early 1970s and 1980s, the Maldives was one of the world's 20 poorest countries, with a population of 100,000. The economy at the time was largely dependent on fisheries and trading local goods such as coir rope, ambergris (Maavaharu), and coco de mer (Tavakkaashi) with neighbouring countries and East Asian countries.
Demographics
The largest and the only ethnic group in the country are Maldivians (Dhivehin), native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising today's Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India. They share the same culture and speak the Dhivehi language. They are principally an Indo-Aryan people, having traces of Middle Eastern, South Asian, Austronesian and African genes in the population.
In the past, there was also a small Tamil population known as the Giraavaru people. This group has now been almost completely assimilated into the larger Maldivian society but were native to the island of Giraavaru, which was evacuated in 1968 due to heavy erosion of the island.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Maldives (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Maldives: Key Facts
| Currency | Maldivian rufiyaa |
|---|---|
| Official language | Maldivian |
| Head of state | Mohamed Muizzu |
| Head of government | Mohamed Muizzu |
| Calling code | +960 |
| Internet domain | .mv |
| Highest point | Villingili |
| Lowest point | Indian Ocean |
| Established | 26 July 1965 |
Facts from Wikidata Q826 (CC0).
Visiting Maldives
The Maldives (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raajje) are a chain of low-lying coral islands in the Indian Ocean with picture-perfect beaches, strikingly blue water, and luxury resorts. There are 200 inhabited islands and 165 islands with tourist resorts. Just under the surface of the beautiful blue ocean, there's a wealth of wildlife to see: over 2000 species of fish in all colours of the rainbow roam the clear waters around the islands.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Maldives (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Maldives
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malé | 112,927 | — | National capital |
Ports in Maldives
1 port recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Male | 5.5 m | Very Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
Largest Islands of Maldives
1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maldive Islands | 126,735 km² | Island group |
Maldive Islands
Island group · 126,735 km²
Maldive Islands is an island group in Seven seas (open ocean) (Indian Ocean), covering an estimated 126,735 km².
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea. The Maldives is located southwest of India and Sri Lanka, about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.
The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Its land area is only 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi), but this is spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi) of the sea, making it one of the world's most spatially dispersed sovereign states. With a population of 515,132 in the 2022 census, it is the second least populous country in Asia and the ninth-smallest country by area, but also one of the most densely populated countries. The Maldives has an average ground-level elevation of around 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, and a highest natural point of only 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in), making it the world's lowest-lying country.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Maldives (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Island group
- Mapped extent
- 126,735 km²
- Size rank
- #48 of 445 islands
- Region
- Seven seas (open ocean)
- Subregion
- Indian Ocean
- Coordinates
- 4.3021°, 73.2301°
- Summits:
- Anai Mudi (2,695 m), Doda Betta (2,636 m), Pidurutalagala (2,524 m)
- Ranges:
- Eastern Ghats (Asia), Satpura Range (Asia)
- Settlements:
- Malé (33 km), Thiruvananthapuram (622 km), Kollam (630 km)
More about Maldive Islands
Geography
The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, that stretch along a length of 871 kilometres (541 miles) north to south, 130 kilometres (81 miles) east to west, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), of which only 298 km2 (115 sq mi) is dry land, making this one of the world's most dispersed countries. It lies between latitudes 1°S and 8°N, and longitudes 72° and 74°E. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometres (600 mi) long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs north to south.
History
In the 6th–5th century BCE, kingdoms already existed in the modern-day Maldives. The country has an established history of over 2,500 years according to historical evidence and legends.
The Mahāvaṃsa (300 BCE) has records of people from Sri Lanka emigrating to the Maldives. Assuming that cowrie shells come from the Maldives, historians believe that there may have been people living in the Maldives during the Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1300 BCE). Several artefacts show the presence of Hinduism in the country before the Islamic period.
Demographics
The largest and the only ethnic group in the country are Maldivians (Dhivehin), native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising today's Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India. They share the same culture and speak the Dhivehi language. They are principally an Indo-Aryan people, having traces of Middle Eastern, South Asian, Austronesian and African genes in the population.
In the past, there was also a small Tamil population known as the Giraavaru people. This group has now been almost completely assimilated into the larger Maldivian society but were native to the island of Giraavaru, which was evacuated in 1968 due to heavy erosion of the island.
Economy
Historically, the Maldives provided enormous quantities of cowry shells, an international currency of the early ages. From the 2nd century CE, the islands were known as the "Money Isles" by the Arabs. Monetaria moneta was used for centuries as a currency in Africa, and huge amounts of Maldivian cowries were introduced into Africa by western nations during the period of slave trade. The cowry is now the symbol of the Maldives Monetary Authority.
In the early 1970s and 1980s, the Maldives was one of the world's 20 poorest countries, with a population of 100,000. The economy at the time was largely dependent on fisheries and trading local goods such as coir rope, ambergris (Maavaharu), and coco de mer (Tavakkaashi) with neighbouring countries and East Asian countries.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Maldives (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Maldive Islands: Key Facts
| Area | 298 km² |
|---|---|
| Population | 436,330 (2017) |
| Highest point | Villingili |
Facts from Wikidata Q826 (CC0).
Visiting Maldive Islands
The Maldives (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raajje) are a chain of low-lying coral islands in the Indian Ocean with picture-perfect beaches, strikingly blue water, and luxury resorts. There are 200 inhabited islands and 165 islands with tourist resorts. Just under the surface of the beautiful blue ocean, there's a wealth of wildlife to see: over 2000 species of fish in all colours of the rainbow roam the clear waters around the islands.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Maldives (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Countries Bordering Maldives
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Asia
Maldives: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Maldives?
- The capital of Maldives is Malé.
- What is the population of Maldives?
- Maldives has a population of about 529,676, the #173 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Maldives?
- Maldives covers 298 km², ranking #211 by area, with about 1,777 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Maldives in?
- Maldives is in Asia.
- Which countries border Maldives?
- Maldives shares a land or maritime border with United Kingdom.
- What is the largest city in Maldives?
- Malé is the largest city in Maldives, with a metropolitan population of about 112,927.