|
Maritime claims:
|
measured from claimed
archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
Climate:
|
tropical; hot, humid;
dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy,
southwest monsoon (June to August) |
|
Terrain:
|
flat, with white sandy
beaches |
|
Elevation
extremes:
|
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili
island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m |
|
Natural
resources:
|
fish |
|
Land use:
|
arable land:
13.33%
permanent crops: 30%
other: 56.67% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA |
|
Natural hazards:
|
low level of islands
makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
|
|
Environment -
current issues:
|
depletion of freshwater
aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming
and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
|
|
Environment -
international agreements:
|
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements |
|
Geography - note:
|
1,190 coral islands
grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus
80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with
strategic location astride and along major sea lanes
in Indian Ocean |
