About Maldives (Capital: Male)
INS Sharda arrives at Maafilaafushi, Maldives to participate in a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise.
Political Features
- Location: The Maldives is a tropical nation in the Indian Ocean composed of 26 coral atolls.
- The northernmost atoll is south-southwest of the Indian mainland.
- Eight Degree channel: It separates the islands of Minicoy (India) and Maldives.
Geographical Features
- Formed entirely by coral reefs; no rivers or mountains.
- Coral Reefs: Maldives has the world’s seventh largest coral reef system, making up about 3.14% of global reef area.
- The average height of the islands does not exceed 1.7 m above mean sea level.