Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 2000 small coral islands that are grouped into clusters of atolls. The islands are low-lying and have only small tracts of arable land.
Vegetation is dominated by coconut palms and breadfruit trees.
The climate is tropical and humid. The principal natural resource is the marine life of the surrounding seas. The people are ethnically heterogeneous, incorporating Indian, Sinhalese, Arabian, and African elements. Islam is the state religion, and nearly all the people are Sunni Muslims. The language is Divehi, an Indo-European tongue related to Sinhalese.