The Maldives is a country in Asia, with about 530,000 people (2025) and an area of 300 square kilometres. Its capital is Male, and it has no land borders.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of the MaldivesThe Maldives in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
300 km² (116 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 187th largest of 195.
Population density
1,766 people per km²
Land neighbours
None. It has no land borders with another country.
Official name
Republic of Maldives
UN status
Member state
Capital coordinates
4.17° N, 73.50° E Male, Natural Earth.
No land borders
The Maldives shares no land border with another country. Its nearest neighbours are across the sea, as the map above shows.
From the Geography app
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of the Maldives's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
The world's lowest and most dispersed country
The Maldives is a chain of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, stretching over 870 kilometers from north to south across the equator in the Indian Ocean. No point in the country rises more than 2.4 meters above sea level, making it the flattest nation on Earth. Only about 200 islands are inhabited, and the capital, Male, packs over 250,000 people onto an island of just 8.3 square kilometers, one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world.
More on 2.4 meters above sea level
The average ground level is roughly 1.5 meters. Even modest sea-level rise would inundate critical infrastructure, contaminate freshwater lenses, and eventually render many islands uninhabitable, making the Maldives the most physically vulnerable country to climate change on Earth.
4 more lenses on the Maldives in the app
STORY An Islamic republic built on coral and tourism
NOW Climate change is not a future risk for the Maldives; it is the present
THREAD India and China compete for influence in a strategically placed archipelago
STORY Democracy arrived late and remains fragile
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare the Maldives with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of the Maldives?
The capital of the Maldives is Male. Male lies at about 4.2 degrees north and 73.5 degrees east. The Maldives is in Asia. It is home to about 530,000 people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of the Maldives?
About 530,000 people live in the Maldives, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 167th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 300 square kilometres, that is about 1,766 people per square kilometre.
What countries border the Maldives?
None. The Maldives has no land borders with any other country. It is surrounded by sea, so every neighbour of the Maldives is across the water. It lies in Asia. Its area is 300 square kilometres, and about 530,000 people live there.
How big is the Maldives?
The Maldives covers 300 square kilometres, or about 116 square miles. That makes it the 187th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 530,000 gives a density of 1,766 people per square kilometre.
The Maldives is a country in Asia, with about 530,000 people (2025) and an area of 300 square kilometres. Its capital is Male, and it has no land borders.
Capital
Male
Continent
Asia
Population
529,676 2025, World Bank. 167th of 195.
Area
300 km² (116 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 187th largest of 195.
Population density
1,766 people per km²
Land neighbours
None. It has no land borders with another country.
Official name
Republic of Maldives
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
The world's lowest and most dispersed country
The Maldives is a chain of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, stretching over 870 kilometers from north to south across the equator in the Indian Ocean. No point in the country rises more than 2.4 meters above sea level, making it the flattest nation on Earth. Only about 200 islands are inhabited, and the capital, Male, packs over 250,000 people onto an island of just 8.3 square kilometers, one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/maldives/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Maldives
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour the Maldives on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/maldives/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
