Geography (Maldives)
====================


     Total area:
         300 km2
     Land area:
         300 km2
     Comparative area:
         slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
     Land boundaries:
         none
     Coastline:
         644 km
     Maritime claims:
       Exclusive economic zone:
         35-310 nm (defined by geographic coordinates; segment of zone coincides with
         maritime boundary with India)
       Territorial sea:
         12 nm
     Disputes:
         none
     Climate:
         tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy,
         southwest monsoon (June to August)
     Terrain:
         flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters
     Natural resources:
         fish
     Land use:
         arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and
         woodland 3%; other 84%
     Environment:
         1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls
     Note:
         archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in
         Indian Ocean