Maldives

The Maldives is a series of 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean, south of India. Only 200 of the islands are habitable and most residents live in small fishing villages. Sitting only 4 feet, 11 inches above sea level, Maldives is the lowest country in the world, and rising sea levels pose a real threat to the future of this island nation. In 2004, the nation suffered a devastating tsunami, which altered the environment and left many of its 390,000 residents homeless or in poverty. The Maldives has a constitutional democracy, with a bill or rights. Sunni Islam is the official religion of the nation, which also requires all of its citizens to be Muslim. While Islam and social custom prevent women from full equality, ...