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An Islamic sultanate until 1968, the Maldives is an archipelago of 1190 small coral islands or atolls (a word derived from the local Dhivehi language), set in the Indian Ocean southwest of India. The islands, most of which do not rise more than 1.5 m (5 ft) above sea level, are protected by encircling reefs or faros. Twenty of the 200 inhabited islands were totally destroyed by the 2004 Asian tsunami, which also hit tourism.