They lie south-southwest of India and are considered part of Southern Asia.
Maldives was for the most part unknown to tourists until the early 1970s. Just 189 of the islands are home to its 392,473 inhabitants.
The other islands are used entirely for economic functions, of that tourism and agriculture are dominant. Tourism accounts for 28% of the GDP.
Over 90% of the state government income comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes.
The Maldives is an independent island country in the north-central Indian Ocean. The islands that make up the country extend more than 510 miles (820 km) from north to south and 80 miles (130 km) from east to west.
