Maldives coral islands, satellite image. The Maldives are a grouping of islands in the Indian Ocean, consisting of more than 1000 coral islands spread across more than 20 ring-shaped atolls. Light blue indicates shallow reefs. Red colours indicate vegetation on land. Like many low-lying island nations, the Maldives are threatened by climate change and rising sea levels. Image data obtained on 26 August 2015, by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites.