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This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the Maldives article.

The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. They became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.

[edit] Geography

Location 

Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India

Geographic coordinates 

3 15 N, 73 00 E

Map references 

Asia

Area 

total: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 300 sq km

Area - comparative 

about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

644 km

Maritime claims 

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM

Climate 

tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Terrain 

flat, with white sandy beaches

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m

Natural resources 

fish

Land use 

arable land: 3.33%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 90% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

NA sq km

Natural hazards 

low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise

Environment - current issues 

depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note 

1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

[edit] People

Population 

320,165 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 45.3% (male 74,493; female 70,394)
15-64 years: 51.7% (male 84,548; female 81,092)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,944; female 4,694) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

2.95% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

37.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

7.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

61.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 62.93 years
female: 64.2 years (2002 est.)
male: 61.72 years

Total fertility rate 

5.38 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.05% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

NA

Nationality 

noun: Maldivian(s)
adjective: Maldivian

Ethnic groups 

South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs

Religions 

Sunni Muslim

Languages 

Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.2%
male: 93.3%
female: 93% (1995 est.)

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Maldives
conventional short form: Maldives
local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa

Government type 

republic

Capital 

Male

Administrative divisions 

19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and 1 other first-order administrative division*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu

Independence 

26 July 1965 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Constitution 

adopted January 1998

Legal system 

based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch 

chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then that nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003)
election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.9%
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president; note - need not be members of Majlis
head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch 

unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 42

Judicial branch 

High Court

Political parties and leaders 

although political parties are not banned, none exist

Political pressure groups and leaders 

none

International organization participation 

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

Maldives does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York; permanent representative is Dr. Mohamed LATHEEF

Diplomatic representation from the US 

the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there

Flag description 

red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

Tourism, Maldives largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Almost 400,000 tourists visited the islands in 1998. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a minor role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $3,870 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 20%
industry: 18%
services: 62% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

3% (2000 est.)

Labor force 

67,000 (1995) (1995)

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture 22%, industry 18%, services 60% (1995) (1995)

Unemployment rate 

NEGL%

Budget 

revenues: $166 million (excluding foreign grants)
expenditures: $192 million, including capital expenditures of $80 million

Industries 

fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining

Industrial production growth rate 

4.4% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production 

110 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

102.3 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish

Exports 

$88 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities 

fish, clothing

Exports - partners 

US, UK, Sri Lanka, Japan

Imports 

$372 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities 

consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners 

Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Canada

Debt - external 

$237 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient 

$NA

Currency 

rufiyaa (MVR)

Currency code 

MVR

Exchange rates 

rufiyaa per US dollar - 11.770 (fixed rate since 1995)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

21,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

1,290 (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: minimal domestic and international facilities
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service
international: satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios 

35,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations 

1 (1997)

Televisions 

10,000 (1999)

Internet country code 

.mv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

1 (2000)

Internet users 

6,000 (2001)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

0 km

Highways 

total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km; note - Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the city (1988 est.)

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Gan, Male

Merchant marine 

total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 51,532 GRT/71,298 DWT
ships by type: cargo 13, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.)

Airports 

5 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

National Security Service

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 74,893 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 41,672 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$34.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

8.6% (FY01)

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none