| Location | Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India |
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| Geographic coordinates | 3 15 N, 73 00 E |
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| Zone | Asia |
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| Area | total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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| Land boundaries | 0 km |
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| Coastline | 644 km |
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| Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) |
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| Terrain | flat, with white sandy beaches |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m |
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| Natural resources | fish |
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| Irrigated land | 644 km |
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| Natural hazards | low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise |
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Environment -
current issues | depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching |
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Environment -
international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| 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 |
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