Vaavu Atoll, Maldives

Dates visited: 10-24/07, 2023

We stayed at: Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives

The Maldives is an archipelagic state and country in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. With an average ground-level elevation of 1.5 metres above sea level, and a highest natural point of only 2.4 metres, Maldives is the world's lowest-lying country.

There are 1192 islands in total, of which 187 are inhabited. They are listed by administrative division/atoll. The islands are divided into: inhabited islands, ininhabited islands, and disappeared islands.

Comprising a territory spanning roughly 90000 square kilometres including the sea, land area of all the islands comprises 298 square kilometres, the Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states and the smallest Asian country as well as one of the smallest Muslim-majority countries by land area and, with around 557751 inhabitants, the 2nd least populous country in Asia.

The World Bank classifies the Maldives as having an upper-middle income economy. Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the largest sector by far, followed by the rapidly growing tourism industry. The Maldives rates "high" on the Human Development Index, with per capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations.

(Source: Wikipedia)