Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small archipelagic state in South Asia, situated in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland. Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island" where the ancient royal dynasties ruled for its central location. The Maldives are formed by 26 natural atolls, along with a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10′ North to 0 degrees 45′ South. The largest of these atolls is  Boduthiladhunmathi, while the atoll              containing the most islands is Huvadhu.          There are around 1,192 in total. The islands are divided into:Inhabited islands,  Uninhabited islands and Disappeared  islands.