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 435 miles southwest of Sri Lanka. The Maldives' 26 atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited.
A group of Maldivians disembark from a ferry at Hulhumale jetty, Hulhumale, Maldives, Friday, Jan. 11, 2008. The Maldives is the flattest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 7 feet above sea level. Over the last century, sea levels have risen about 8 inches. The ocean is likely to continue rising and this threatens the existence of the Maldives and other small island nations.
Maldivian youth play on the beach in Hulhumale, Maldives, Friday, Jan. 11, 2008. With a desperately overcrowded capital hemmed in on an island, the Maldives thought it had a can't-miss solution: build another island. Thus Hulhumale was built on an existing shallow.
A Maldivian youth uses his mobile phone as he stands in a street in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.
A Maldivian girl swings at a playground in a newly constructed housing complex in Hulhumale, Maldives, Friday, Jan. 11, 2008. Hulhumale was built 9 feet above sea level whereas most islands in Maldives are a mere 3 feet above sea level, to provide higher ground in the event of rising sea levels or another Tsunami.
A laborer works in a construction site as a housing complex is seen in the back ground in Hulhumale, Maldives, Friday, Jan. 11, 2008.
A group of elderly Maldivian citizens play cards outside their houses in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.
A Maldivian fisherman unloads his catch from a boat outside the fish market in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.
An elderly Maldivian woman and two children stand in front of their houses in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.
A Maldivian trader carries plantains at a marketplace in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.
Members of the Maldivian public stand at a jetty as they wait to climb on board a ferry bound for Hulhumale in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.
A ship arrives in the harbor of the Maldives capital of Male, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007.