The Maldives (or Maldives Islands), officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is located south of India's Lakshadweep islands, and about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) southwest of Sri Lanka. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of population. It is also the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world.

The Maldives' twenty-six atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited by local communities, 990 uninhabited and 87 are exclusive resort islands.

The Maldives is often referred to as paradise on Earth. Maldives is ranked among one of the best diving destinations of the world due to its exclusively beautiful underwater scenery and clean water. Maldives is famous for its blue ocean and white beaches too. The average temperature is 29 - 32 degrees Celsius. The climate of the Maldives is ideal for visitors to get engaged in water sports such as swimming, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, water-skiing and windsurfing.

Maldivian culture is derived from a number of sources, the most important of which are its proximity to the shores of Sri Lanka and South India. Thus the population is mainly Dravidian from the anthropological point of view.