The Maldives is a sovereign island country located in the Indian Ocean, organized into 26 atolls. It comprises 1,200 islands of which 203 are inhabited; it is located 450 km from India and is considered a micro-state since its extension is only 298 square kilometers. Its capital and most populated city is Malé, with a population of 103,693 inhabitants. It has a tropical and humid climate and is the least populated country in Asia. The archipelago is composed of about 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, following a north-south direction, occupying an area of about 90,000km, making it one of the most dispersed countries in the world.
The country holds the record for being the flattest in the world, with a maximum elevation of only 2.8 meters, making it particularly vulnerable to rising seas. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that the upper limit of sea level rises will be 59 centimeters, meaning that most of the republic's 200 inhabited islands may have to be abandoned. Consequently, some urban projects have proposed to generate oil platforms to prevent the native population from having to leave the country. In addition, the government's efforts have focused on offsetting its greenhouse gas emissions and moving towards a green economy. Initiatives to combat global warming include reducing dependence on non-renewable energy sources.
