Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 7% other: 90% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
Environment - current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - note: 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
People Maldives