Location and Geography Maldives is an independent chain of islands in the Northern Indian Ocean and South-west of Sri Lanka, at the Southernmost tip of India. The atolls comprise about 1,190 coral islands, 200 of which are inhabited. The tropical vegetation varies from grass and scrub to dense woods of fruit trees or coconut palms. The environment is warm and wet. The terrain is flat with some elevations. There is very little arable land and few forests, pastures and woodlands. The country has no permanent crops. The climate is hot and humid. Most of the area is subject to the South-west and North-east monsoons.
Maldives is an independent chain of islands in the Northern Indian Ocean and South-west of Sri Lanka, at the Southernmost tip of India. The atolls comprise about 1,190 coral islands, 200 of which are inhabited. The tropical vegetation varies from grass and scrub to dense woods of fruit trees or coconut palms. The environment is warm and wet. The terrain is flat with some elevations. There is very little arable land and few forests, pastures and woodlands. The country has no permanent crops. The climate is hot and humid. Most of the area is subject to the South-west and North-east monsoons.