In the summer of 2007 we went to Maldives. This is the aerial view of the island we stayed in. Maldives is famous for its sandy beaches, clear water and breathtaking views as you can see from this picture. But there is a lot more to it. Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area. It is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres above sea level, it is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres. Maldives got independence on 26th july 1965. I was lucky enough to be there to experience the celebration of their Independence Day. Maldives has a total number of 1192 islands! I was surprised to find that the island we stayed on was completely destroyed in the Tsunami. But after only 2yrs there was no sign of the disaster anywhere. This should be a lesson for us. We are still suffering from the Earth quake of 2005. Here the restoration process is taking a very long time. We would really benefit if we try to follow these other countries' examples.