KEY POINTS:
The Maldives is hoarding cash in case it has to buy a new homeland because of climate change.
Beloved by tourists for their white sandy beaches, palm trees and clear waters, the 1192 coral islands that make up the Indian Ocean country risk devastation by rising sea levels caused by climate change.
Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed, who won the Maldives' first democratic presidential election last month, told the Guardian newspaper his Government would start putting aside part of its billion-dollar annual tourism income in case the worst happens.
Nasheed said a number of countries were receptive. India and Sri Lanka were targets because they had similar cultures and climates, while vast Australia was also an option.
