The Maldives is a group of about 1,192 islands situated south-west of India.
The Maldives population estimated at 309,575 in mid 2008 live on 202 islands spread
across an area of 115,300 square kilometers of which more than 95 percent is water.
The islands of the Maldives are relatively small with only 2 islands having a land area
of over 500 hectares. Despite the challenges of geography and size the Maldives has
made considerable economic and social progress over the last three and a half
decades. Its GDP per capita is the highest in the South Asia region and is on the verge
being graduated from the UN list of Least Developing Countries (LDC). The
Maldives has also made progress in raising a number of social indicators such as life
expectancy, child mortality and literacy. However, these very changes have created
increased tensions and challenges in terms of spatial development and urbanization.