asia • MDV
Maldives
Location marker · geographic overview
3.25° N / 73° ETHE WORLD, ONE COUNTRY AT A TIME
- Capital
- Malé
- Population
- 527,799 2024
- Area
- 300 km² (year unavailable)
- Languages source-listed
- Maldivian
- Currency
- Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR)
- Geography
- Island country
Population: World Bank 2024. Other facts: REST Countries snapshot. Sources & limitations.
STAY A LITTLE LONGER
Discover Maldives
FROM THE TRAVEL GUIDE · Maldives
The Maldives (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raajje) are a chain of low-lying coral islands in the Indian Ocean with picture-perfect beaches, strikingly blue water, and luxury resorts.
Landscape & landmarks
Most visitors come to enjoy the countless plush resorts, excellent beaches and stunningly colourful underwater life. Due to the isolated position of the island, the number of animals on land is limited, but the ocean has a wealth of wildlife. You will likely see plenty of anemones, different kinds of rays, octopus, squid and even giant clams. Whales, dolphins and turtles are spotted often.Read the see section ↗
Food & everyday culture
Maldivian food revolves largely around fish (mas), in particular tuna (kandu mas), and draws heavily from South Indian tradition, especially Kerala. Dishes are often hot, spicy and flavoured with coconut, but use very few vegetables. A traditional meal consists of rice, a clear fish broth called garudhiya and side dishes of lime, chilli and onions.Read the eat section ↗
Excerpts from Wikivoyage contributors, revision 2026-09-01. CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected excerpts; wiki formatting removed; omissions marked […]. Guide wording and any figures belong to this dated source; they do not replace the atlas statistics above. Food descriptions are not official national-dish designations.
A little more to discover +
- National flower
- Not yet verified
- Official national dish
- Not yet verified
- Representative food
- Not yet verified
- Subregion
- Southern Asia
- Calling code
- +960
- Internet domain
- .mv
- Land border codes
- None listed
Quick facts
- Traffic keeps to the left side of the road. Source ↗
- The country-code web domain is .mv. Source ↗
- The source lists sunday as the start of the week. Source ↗
Population: World Bank 2024. Other facts: REST Countries snapshot. Source-matched September 26, 2026; not live data. Sources & limitations.