News: India and Maldives explored ways to boost trade and strategic cooperation even as Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel backed New Delhi’s fight against terrorism.
Key facts about Maldives
Geography
- Location: It is located to the south of India or to the southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
- It is located on the central part of a submerged ocean mountain range called Laccadive-Chagos Ridge.
- Island chains: The Maldives is a chain of 26 coral atolls. There are 1,192 small islands in the Maldives, of these only about 200 are inhabited.
- This country consists of 99% water and only 1% of the area is land area.
- There are no rivers in the Maldives and no hills, the highest points of the Maldives islands are about 15 ft above sea level.
- There are only two small freshwater lake on Foammulaku atoll.
- Climate: The rainy season, from May to August, is brought by the southwest monsoon; from December to March the northeast monsoon brings dry and mild winds.
Polity
- Capital: The capital city is called Male and located on the North Male atoll.
- This is the smallest country on the Asian continent.
- Language: The national language is Dhivehi, a language in Arabic script but derives from the Sinhala language spoken in Sri Lanka.
- Religion: Islam is the state religion and plays a central role in national governance.
Economy
- The currency of the Maldives is the rufiyaa. The coins are called laari.
- The main industries of the Maldives are fishing, shipping and boat building, sand and coral mining and tourism.
International cooperation
- The Maldives is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
- It is is a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
