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Places in News: Maldives
Context:
The External Affairs Minister of India recently concluded a crucial visit to Male, assuring the country’s top leadership that the Maldives remains an important partner of India in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region.
About Maldives:
- The Maldives is the smallest country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean.
- The Maldives’ 26 atolls span the equator, extending from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sandbars.
- The Maldivian Archipelago lies on the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a large underwater mountain range in the Indian Ocean. This ridge also forms a terrestrial ecoregion alongside the Chagos Archipelago and Lakshadweep.
- The Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with maximum and average natural ground levels of only 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) and 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, respectively.
- Over 80% of the Maldives’ land consists of coral islands rising less than one meter above sea level, making the country vulnerable to submersion from rising sea levels.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that if current trends continue, the Maldives could become uninhabitable by 2100.
- The Maldives became a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
- The Eight Degree Channel is the maritime boundary between India and Maldives, which separates the islands of Minicoy and Maldives.