What the numbers say

Malé Atoll from the International Space Station: coral rings in the Indian Ocean.

02Land

After the ring

Land area is 298 square kilometres. Population is estimated around 601,000, and the 2022 census records 515,132. Islands number about 1,190 across 26 atolls. Mean elevation is about 1.5 metres. The coastline runs 1,129 kilometres. The figures lock the scale: a low oceanic country, neither a continent nor a city-state.

Land area: 0 km²; Asia’s smallest country by land area, per the geography article.Maldives · WikipediaGeography of the Maldives · Wikipedia
Population: About 601,269; Mid-year estimate in the country article; the 2022 census records 515,132.Maldives · Wikipedia
Coral islands: About 1,190; Approximate count, in a double chain of 26 atolls across roughly 90,000 km² of ocean.Geography of the Maldives · WikipediaMaldives · Wikipedia
Atolls: 0; From Ihavandhippolhu in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.Maldives · WikipediaGeography of the Maldives · Wikipedia
Mean elevation: About 1.5 m; Highest natural point cited as 2.4 m or 5.1 m at Mount Villingili—sources differ.Maldives · WikipediaGeography of the Maldives · Wikipedia
Coastline: 0 km; Maldives geography article.Geography of the Maldives · Wikipedia