I thought I wrote this, but it has disappeared.

Is there any reason we don't have the Maldives on the map?

I don't know; I do recall looking at the map and game balance for the western side of India and altering things so you could launch into the western side of India with clothmaking...

... would adding the Maldives simplify or complicate all that? Would they be worth more than a (1)?

Can the maldives support any reasonable population in comparison with other areas?

What civilizations existed there?

I'm maldives illiterate!

Internet scholarship, but it's something to start with:
http://www.iias.nl/iiasn/iiasn5/insouasi/maloney.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives
http://www.maldivesroyalfamily.com/mald ... inks.shtml

There's mention of "...first settlers were Dravidian people..." and "...[s]eafaring from Gujarat began during the Indus civilization.