at, 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: 13.33%
permanent crops: 16.67%
other: 70% (2001)

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

Population:
339,330 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.4% (male 77,424; female 73,191)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 91,045; female 87,331)
65 years and over: 3% (male 5,207; female 5,132) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 17.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.86% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
36.06 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
7.44 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 58.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 57.43 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.68 years
male: 62.41 years
female: 65.01 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.14 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Maldivian(s)
adjective: Maldivian

Ethnic groups:
South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs

Religions:
Sunni Muslim

Languages:
Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sin