Coral Atoll, Maldives

Land of 1,200 islands

Made up of ringlike atolls such as this one, the Maldives is a nation of only 115 square miles of land spread over 35,000 square miles of water. But what bright and beautiful land it is. Visit one of this archipelagic nation's nearly 1,200 islands and you'll never be far from the rich aquamarine of the Indian Ocean—and there's not much to obstruct your view, either. Here in the world's flattest country, the highest point is a roughly 17-foot hill located at a golf resort.