Rapid fertility decline in the Maldives: An assessment

Maldives is an archipelago of 1,190 small coral islands, of which 200 are inhabited, spread over a geographical area of 90,000 sq. km in the Indian Ocean. The islands are grouped in ring-shape clusters and stretch approximately 750 km from North to South and 120 km from East to West. These islands form 26 natural atolls, which for easy administration are grouped into 20 atolls. The nearest neighbours of Maldives are India and Sri Lanka, located about 600 and 670 km to the North and East, respectively. The islands are very small and low-lying with many being no more than two metres above the sea level. Malé, one of the islands, is the capital of Maldives and has been the seat of the Government from the beginning of the archipelago’s known history. Archeological findings reveal that the islands were inhabited as early as 1500 BC. However, it is believed that the first settlers in those islands were Aryan immigrants who came around 500 BC. Today, Maldivians are a mixed race and throughout Maldives, Dhivehi, a language which belongs to the Indo-Iranian group of languages is spoken.