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THE MALDIVES
- The Maldives, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, 402 km (250 mi) south-west of India
- The chain of islands is an archipelago, which are in reality the tops of a vast undersea mountain range in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. The atolls of the Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square km (34,750 sq miles), making it one of the most dispersed countries in the world in geographic terms
- It features 1,192 islands, of which two hundred are inhabited. The Republic of Maldivess capital and largest city is Malé¬ with a population of 103,693 (as of 2006)
- The Maldives are the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in)
THE MALDIVES Continued
- The Indian Ocean has a great effect on the climate of the country by acting as a heat buffer, absorbing, storing, and slowly releasing the tropical heat. The temperature of Maldives ranges between 24 C (75 F) and 33 C (91 F) throughout the year. Although the humidity is relatively high, the constant cool sea breezes keep the air moving and the heat mitigated
- During this period, the northeast winds contribute to the formation of the northeast monsoon, which reaches Maldives in the beginning of June and lasts until the end of August. However, the weather patterns of Maldives do not always conform to the monsoon patterns of South Asia
- The annual rainfall averages 2,540 millimetres (100 inches) in the north and 3,810 millimetres (150 inches) in the south
- The Maldivesè ·aters are home to wide variety of ecosystems, but it is most noted for their variety of colourful coral reefs, home to some 300 species of fish
