The Eye of the Maldives, North Male, Maldives The Eye of the Maldives is a faro, a coral formation on a rocky base that has sunk, concealing all but a ring-shaped reef that encircles a shallow lagoon. Coral can only form in water of a relatively high temperature, and thus atolls develop principally in intertropical regions. The Maldives archipelago, in the center of the Indian Ocean, is composed of 26 large atolls comprising more than 120 isles or islets, of which almost 420 are inhabited permanently or seasonally by tourists. The lowest country in the world, with a high point not exceeding 8.25 feet (2.5m), the Maldives archipelago has suffered the devastating effects if several tidal waves. If the ocean level were to rise, it would be the first territory to be submerged.