Which is the smallest country in Asia?

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small island nation in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from the Asian continent.

The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. Comprising a territory spanning roughly 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi), the Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 515,696 inhabitants.

Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island" for its central location. From the mid-16th-century, the region came under the increasing influence of European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United Kingdom was granted in 1965.

The World Bank classifies the Maldives as having an upper middle income economy. Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, followed by the rapidly growing tourism industry. Maldives is rated "high" on the Human Development Index, with its per capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations.

The Maldives was a member of the Commonwealth from July 1982 until its withdrawal from the organisation in October 2016 in protest at international criticism of its record with regard to corruption and human rights.