The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a South Asian sovereign state, located in the Indian Ocean, situated in the Arabian Sea. The Maldives is one of the world’s most geographically dispersed countries, as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population. Malé is the capital and most populated city. The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands.Today, the Maldives’ largest industry is tourism.