Driving Directions Maldives
MALDIVES, the, is a republic consisting of 1,200 low-lying coral islands grouped into 12 atolls, lying 640 kilometers or 398 miles southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Roughly 202 islands are inhabited, and the highest point is only 1.5 meters or 5 feet above sea level.
Independence gained in 1965, with a republic formed three years later.