Leaf-shaped wind chimes hang from half a coconut suspended from a tree by the beach on a tropical island in the Maldives

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There are many luxury island resorts in the Maldives, usually with a turquoise lagoon and a house reef teeming with tropical fish for schnorkelling Surrounded by powder white sand, the luxury experience of a tropical holiday usually includes wellness treatments, South Indian-influenced cuisine, and world class diving. The Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean–Arabian Sea area, consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between Minicoy Island (the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, and the capital, Malé, is about 600 kilometres (370 mi) south-west of India and 750 kilometres (470 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level elevation of metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the planet's lowest country. It is also the country with the lowest natural highest point in the world, at metres (7 ft 10 in). Future inundation of the Maldives due to rising sea levels is of great concern to its people, motivating the government to have pledged to become a carbon-neutral country by 2019.

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Size: 3438px × 4814px
Location: Cocoa Island Makunufushi South Malé Atoll Republic of Maldives
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: beach, chimes, holiday, island, leaf-shaped, luxury, maldives, relaxation, sand, tree, tropical, wind