Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep Islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about 700 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres south-west of India. During the colonial era, the Dutch referred to the country as "Maldivische Eilanden" in their documentation, while "Maldive Islands" is the anglicised version of the local name used by the British, which... later came to be written "Maldives". The archipelago is located on top of the Chagos-Maldives-Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean. Maldives also form a terrestrial ecoregion together with the Chagos and the Lakshadweep. The atolls of Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres , making it one of the world's most geographically dispersed countries.
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| Founded: | July 26, 1965 |
| Capital: | Malé |
| Population: | 90,050 |
| Official language: | Dhivehi language |
| Currency: | Maldivian rufiyaa |
| Area: | 115.1 sq. mi. |
| GDP: | $1,908,460,938 |
| Form of government: | Republic, Presidential system |
| Also known as: | Republic of Maldives, Maldive Islands |