A diver exploring a coral reef in the Maldives.
Maldives, in the full republic of the Maldives, also called the Maldives, independent islands in the North Indian Ocean. It consists of a chain of about 1200 small coral islands and sand banks (about 200 inhabited), grouped in clusters or atols.
It is also an incredibly gloomy story for the most part - which little before the conversion to Islam in 1153 is known. In fact, the pre-Muslim period is full of heroic myths, mixed with assumptions based on unimaginable archaeological discoveries.