Location and size
The Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean consisting of a group of atolls. It is located southwest of India and 700 km southwest of Sri Lanka. It is the smallest Asian country in both population and territory, which is 300 sq. km. The capital is located on the largest atoll and is called Male.

Climate
Located near the equator, the Maldives enjoys a tropical climate that is consistently hot and often humid throughout the year. Temperatures range between 24 and 33 degrees throughout the year. The humidity is high but not so noticeably, due to the constant breeze. Two seasons prevail - dry (winter) and rainy (summer).

The most popular time to visit is between December and April when rainfall amounts are lower along with longest hours of sunshine.

Population
The current population of the Maldives is 557,569 as of April 2022, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.

In 2021, the population of the Maldives stands at 544,000. Over the past 50 years, the population has increased significantly from 123,347 to 544,000 people at an increasing annual rate, peaking at 4.67% in 2014 and then declining to 0.64% in 2021.

The largest city and capital of the Maldives is Male, with an estimated population of 63,000. It is followed by Addu City (32,000) and Fuvahmulah (12,000). These are the only cities with a population exceeding 10,000.

Age groups: 0-14 years- 22%; 15-24 years- 17%; 25-54 years - 49%; 55- 64 years - 7%; 65+ years- 5%.

Urban population density: 41.1%.

Ethnic composition
Maldivians - 99.5%, others - 0.5%

Official language
Dhivehi, other languages - English, German, Arabic.

Confessional Composition
Muslim - 98.4%, Hindu - 0.8%, other - 0.8%

Capital
Male. It is only 6 square kilometers.

Administrative division
189 islands, 17 atolls, and 4 cities

Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)

Mobile operator
Telephone code: +960
Maldives mobile - (DhiMobile) [MDV01], coverage - 2G, 3G

Transport
No land-based public transport

From Sofia to Maldives
6535.1 km, 81.7 hours by car
Passenger plane (approx.) - 7.2 hours, train - 93.4 hours (not high speed).