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The Republic of the Maldives, sometimes referred to as the Maldive Islands or simply the Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean.

The Republic of the Maldives, sometimes referred to as the Maldive Islands or simply the Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, orientated north-south, that lie about 700 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres south-west of India. The capital is Male and the archipelago has some 300 000 inhabitants.

Tourism is the largest economic industry in the Maldives, as it plays an important role in earning foreign exchange revenues and generating employment in the tertiary sector of the country. The archipelago of the Maldives is the main source of attraction to many tourists visiting the country worldwide.