The Maldivian Atolls mark the peaks of a submarine volcanic range. While the massif was sinking slowly, corals started settling around its mountain tops, building circular or egg shaped formations around them, which are today’s coral reefs and islands with their lagoons. Approximately 1190 islands constituting the Maldives Archipelago are situated in the Indian Ocean south of the Indian subcontinent. Together, they form 26 Great Atolls which stretch over 868 km from north to south.
