The Republic of the Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean, the south-southwest of India. The Maldives comprises approximately 1,200 coral islands, grouped into twenty-six atolls, and covers an area of 300 square kilometers (116 square miles). The capital and most populated city of the Maldives is Male.

The Maldives long lived independently, with the exception of the period between 1556 and 1578, during which the Portuguese ruled. In 1887, the country became a British protectorate, which ended when it became a fully independent state on July 26, 1965. After independence, Ibrahim Nasir (b. 1926) served as president from 1968 to 1978. He was succeeded in 1978 by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (b. 1937), who has since been reelected as the president of the Maldives five times, in 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, and 2003.

The economic life of the Maldives relies heavily on tourism and fishing. The gross domestic product per capita in 2003 was $2,027. The total life expectancy is approximately 63 years, and the literacy rate for the...