Outline of the Maldives

[1] The Maldives is located south of India's Lakshadweep islands, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka.

The twenty-six atolls of Maldives' encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, two hundred and fifty islands of which are inhabited.

The name "Maldives" may derive from Maale Dhivehi Raajje ("The Island Kingdom [under the authority of] Malé").

Another theory suggests that the name "Maldives" derives from the Tamil "malai tivu" meaning "island of hills."

The growing dependence of the Maldives on China is driving the island nation towards concerning levels of economic indebtedness.