Facts

The Maldives

Introduction: The Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, consisting of more than 1,200 coral islands, of which only 200 are inhabited. Covering an area of 298 square km and with a population of 393,500, the Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area.

Military: The Maldives National Defense Force is the only military force of the Maldives and functions as army, navy, national police and coast guard. As a water-bound nation in which many of the security concerns are maritime, it is the coast guard role that is the most vital for the MNDF.