Just likeBora Bora, the Maldives is another tropical paradise that feels like a fantasy world. Hundreds of lush islands, lined with the whitest sandy beaches, and surrounded by the bluest of water; the Malvides is a slice of heaven. Check out the beautiful photographs below along with information on the world’s lowest country with the ‘lowest high point’ in the world.

- The Maldives, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, 402 km (250 mi) south-west of India
- The chain of islands is an archipelago, which are in reality the tops of a vast undersea mountain range in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. The atolls of the Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square km (34,750 sq miles), making it one of the most dispersed countries in the world in geographic terms
- It features 1,192 islands, of which two hundred are inhabited. The Republic of Maldives’s capital and largest city is Malé, with a population of 103,693 (as of 2006)
- The Maldives are the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in)

- The Indian Ocean has a great effect on the climate of the country by acting as a heat buffer, absorbing, storing, and slowly releasing the tropical heat. The temperature of Maldives ranges between 24 °C (75 °F) and 33 °C (91 °F) throughout the year. Although the humidity is relatively high, the constant cool sea breezes keep the air moving and the heat mitigated
- Two seasons dominate Maldives’ weather: the dry season associated with the winter northeastern monsoon and the rainy season which brings strong winds and storms. The shift from the moist southwest monsoon to the dry northeast monsoon occurs during April and May
- During this period, the northeast winds contribute to the formation of the northeast monsoon, which reaches Maldives in the beginning of June and lasts until the end of August. However, the weather patterns of Maldives do not always conform to the monsoon patterns of South Asia Read more…

Washington (CNN) — His party got its clock cleaned in Tuesday’s midterm elections, but President Barack Obama still remains competitive in some hypothetical 2012 presidential election matchups, especially against Sarah Palin, a new poll shows.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday also indicates that at the unofficial start of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, the field of possible contenders appears wide open with no front-runner.

Twenty-one percent of Republicans say they would most likely support 2008 GOP White House candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for their party’s 2012 presidential nomination, according to the poll.

The number is 20 percent for another 2008 Republican presidential hopeful, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Fourteen percent say they support Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, with 12 percent backing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia.

The remaining candidates, whose names were all in single digits, are led by Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who also ran for the GOP presidential nomination the last time around, followed by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

The poll’s release comes as Santorum visits New Hampshire to give a speech about the midterm election results and the future of the Republican party. No one has yet to announce a bid for the GOP nomination.

In a possible general election showdown, Obama leads Palin 52-44 percent among all registered voters.

Christy Walton & family

Bill Gates ain’t the richest man of the world anymore.

Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World’s Billionaires List.

1) Carlos Slim Helu

Net Worth: $53.5 billion

Source: Telecom

Residence: Mexico

• Telecom tycoon who pounced on privatization of Mexico’s national telephone company in the 1990s becomes world’s richest person for first time after coming in third place last year. Net worth up $18.5 billion in a year.

2) Bill Gates

Net Worth: $53 billion

Source: Microsoft

Residence: U.S.

• Software visionary is now the world’s second-richest man. Net worth still up $13 billion in a year as Microsoft shares rose 50% in 12 months, value of investment vehicle Cascade swelled.

Mary Josephine Ray during her 111th birthday party in Westmoreland.

She died Sunday, March 7, 2010 in Westmorland at age 114.

WESTMORELAND, N.H. – Two of the oldest people in the world have died on the same day.

Mary Josephine Ray, who was certified as the oldest person living in the United States, died Sunday at age 114 years, 294 days. She died at a nursing home in Westmoreland but was active until about two weeks before her death, her granddaughter Katherine Ray said.

“She just enjoyed life. She never thought of dying at all,” Katherine Ray said. “She was planning for her birthday party.”

Ray died just hours before Daisey Bailey, who was 113 years, 342 days, said L. Stephen Coles, a director of the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks and studies old people and certifies those 110 or older, called supercentenarians.

“It’s very rare that two of our supercentenarians die on the same day,” Coles said.

Bailey, who was born March 30, 1896, died in Detroit, he said. She had suffered from dementia, said her family, which claimed she was born in 1895.

Ray was the oldest person in the United States and the second oldest person in the world.

Costa Rica is the happiest country in the world according to the World Database of Happiness. Costa Rica boasts an 8.5 out of 10 on the happiness scale.

Read more…

Take a look at the ten smallest mobile phones that are leading this global competition today:

1. Modu Mobile

2. Haier Elegance

3. NEC N930

4. Xun Chi 138

5. Cellwatch M500 Watch Phone

6. Samsung SGH-E888

7. UTStarcom Slice

8. LG Migo

9. Pantech C300

10. Firefly Mobile

And Finally

Here is size of future mobile phones