Maldives

The Maldives is what happens when you scatter 1,192 coral islands across 90,000 square kilometers of Indian Ocean and barely raise any of them above sea level. The result is one of the most visually stunning countries on Earth - rings of white sand and palm trees encircling lagoons of impossible turquoise, where the marine life beneath the surface is just as spectacular as the view above. It has become synonymous with luxury travel, overwater villas, and honeymoon perfection.

But the Maldives is also a country living on borrowed time. With an average elevation of just 1.5 meters above sea level, it is the lowest-lying nation on Earth and the most vulnerable to rising seas. The irony is cruel - a country that contributes almost nothing to climate change stands to lose everything to it. Beyond the resorts, Maldivian culture runs deep, shaped by centuries of maritime trade connecting Arabia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The capital Male is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and life on the local islands - fishing, coconut harvesting, dhoni boat building - offers a very different picture from the resort brochures.