In the independent republic of

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

, all islands except for 9 were hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. 82 people were killed and 24 reported missing and presumed dead after the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

was hit by a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

caused by the

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

on 26 December 2004. Two-thirds of the capital city

Malé Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...

was flooded during the first hours of the day. Outlying low-level

atolls An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can grow ...

were badly affected, and some low-lying islands, including some of the major resorts, were submerged at the peak of the tsunami. The government declared a state of national disaster and a special task force was set up to provide aid and supplies. Rescue efforts were hampered by loss of communication capability with the over one thousand islands that compose the nation, as well as by the lack of disaster planning. Total damages are estimated to be nearly $460 million, which accounts for nearly 62% of the GDP.

Notes

External links

Maldives Disaster Management CentrePhotos from Malé, MaldivesBlog with photos and thoughts from Maldives
* British Foreign Offic
advice
for the Maldives. {{Tsunami2004impact

History of the Maldives 2004 in the Maldives