Maldives, officially the Republic of the Maldivesand also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the indian ocean consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between minicony island(the southernmost part of lakshadweep, india) and the chagos archipelago. The chains stand in the laccadive sea, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south-west of sri Langa and 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India