Maldives: Geography

The World Factbook 1993: Maldives Geography

Location: South Asia, in the Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of India

Area: total area: 300 km2 land area: 300 km2 comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 644 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 35-310 nm as defined by geographic coordinates; segment of zone coincides with maritime boundary with India territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Terrain: flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters

Natural resources: fish

Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 3% forest and woodland: 3% other: 84%

Irrigated land: NA km2

Environment: 1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls

Note: archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean