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Geography of The Maldives - Wikipedia PDF
Geography of The Maldives - Wikipedia PDF
Maldives
Physical geography
Cross section of a coral reef in the Maldives
Climate
One of the many uninhabited islands of the Maldives.
Area:
total: 298 km²
land: 298 km²
water: 0 km²
Coastline: 644 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed
archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
contiguous zone: 24 nmi (44.4 km; 27.6 mi)
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi
(370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Vilingili
Island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m (Maldives is
the flattest country in the world, i.e. they
have the lowest high-point of any country
in the world).
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 10%
other: 80% (2011)
Environmental concerns
Natural hazards: tsunamis; low level of
islands makes them very sensitive to sea
level rise.
Some scientists fear it could be
underwater by 2050 or 2100. The UN's
environmental panel has warned that, at
current rates, sea level would be high
enough to make the country uninhabitable
by 2100.[6][7] President Mohamed Nasheed
aims to turn the Maldives into an entirely
carbon neutral nation by 2020.[8]
Statistics
Position: degree of latitude: 07° 06'30" N
to 00° 41'48" S and degree of longitude:
72° 32'30" E to 73° 45'54" E westside of
India and Sri Lanka.
Range: in length approx. 750 km (from
north to south) / in width approx. 120 km
(from west to east)
Land territory: 1,196 mostly deserted
islands with a total area of approx.
298 km².
The islands are in average 1.8 m above
sea level.
Distances: shortest distance to India:
approx. 340 km and to Sri Lanka
approx. 700 km.
Nearest nation
India (Laccadives)
References
1. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee,
Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru.
G.Sōsanī. Malé 1999
2. Hasan A. Maniku, The Islands of
Maldives. Novelty. Male 1983
3. Hasan A. Maniku, Changes in the
Topography of the Maldives. Novelty.
Male 1990
4. Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive
Islanders, A Study of the Popular
Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom.
1999, ISBN 84-7254-801-5
5. CIA World Factbook accessed 1 May
2009
6. Megan Angelo (1 May 2009). "Honey, I
Sunk the Maldives: Environmental
changes could wipe out some of the
world's most well-known travel
destinations" .
7. Kristina Stefanova (19 April 2009).
"Climate refugees in Pacific flee rising
sea" .
8. "Maldives aims for action behind
words on climate change" . Retrieved
18 September 2009.
9. CIA World Factbook accessed 1 May
2009
10. CIA World Factbook accessed 1 May
2009
This article incorporates public domain
material from the Library of Congress
Country Studies website
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ .
Further reading
Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives.
Rudie H. Kuiter. Atoll Editions. Apollo Bay,
Australia 1998.
External links
Map of the Baa atoll
Satellite images of all the Atolls at the
Wayback Machine (archived 23
December 2010)
Maldives Island Maps
Location on Map
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