Thc Republic of Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It has 1199 islands that are clustered into 26 major atolls. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of Closely spaced coral islands. The natural coral reefs of the Maldives are surrounded by the Sea all around and stand out as a pearl in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is the eighth smallest country in the world with an area of only 300 square kilometers. It is the smallest Asian country in terms Of population and size. People have been living on the islands of the Maldives nearly 3000 years. They set sail from different parts Of the world — Asia, Arabia, Europe and America —to come to these islands. The earliest settlers 01' the Maldives were probably from southern India and Sri Lanka who came to these islands in the fourth and fifth centuries BC. In the 12th century AD, sailors liom East Africa alld Arab countries came to the Maldives, As a result, the Maldivians who were originally Buddhists were converted Io Sunni Islam in the mid-12Lh century. In 1344 Ibn Batuta, a famous Arab historian and scholar travelled around th