======================================================================
@Maldives
Introduction Maldives
Background:
The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then
under British protection. They became a republic in 1968, three
years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being developed on
the archipelago.
Geography Maldives
Location:
Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest
of India
Geographic coordinates:
3 15 N, 73 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 300 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC