The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress has been slow, however, and many promised reforms have been slow to come to fruition. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. A constituent assembly - termed the "special majlis" - has pledged to complete the drafting of a new constitution by the end of 2007 and first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system are slated for November 2008. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.

Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
3 15 N, 73 00 E
Asia
total: 300 sq km ; land: 300 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
644 km
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines ; territorial sea: 12 nm ; contiguous zone: 24 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
flat, with white sandy beaches
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m ; highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
fish
arable land: 13.33% ; permanent crops: 30% ; other: 56.67% (2005)
NA
0.03 cu km (1999)
Total: 0.003 cu km/yr (98%/2%/0%) ; Per capita: 9 cu m/yr (1987)
low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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
369,031 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 81,383/female 76,984) ; 15-64 years: 54% (male 101,699/female 97,518) ; 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,619/female 5,828) (2007 est.)
total: 18.1 years ; male: 18 years ; female: 18.2 years (2007 est.)
2.732% (2007 est.)
34.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.057 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.043 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.964 male(s)/female ; total population: 1.046 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 53.25 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 52.4 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 54.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 64.76 years ; male: 63.41 years ; female: 66.19 years (2007 est.)
4.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
0.1% (2001 est.)
less than 100 (2001 est.)
NA
noun: Maldivian(s) ; adjective: Maldivian
South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Sunni Muslim
Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 96.3% ; male: 96.2% ; female: 96.4% (2000 census)


conventional long form: Republic of Maldives ; conventional short form: Maldives ; local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa ; local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
republic
name: Male ; geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E ; time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale* (Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu

26 July 1965 (from UK)
Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
adopted 1 January 1998
based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
21 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government ; head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978) ; cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president ; elections: president nominated by the Majlis; 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 17 October 2003 (next to be held in 2008) ; election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3%
unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 members elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms) ; elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held in 2010) ; election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50
High Court
Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]; note - political parties were allowed to register in June 2005
various unregistered political parties
AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) ; chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 ; telephone: [1] (212) 599-6194 ; FAX: [1] (212) 599-6195
the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there





Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28% 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. Fishing is the second leading sector. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser 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 7% of GDP. 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. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year for more than a decade. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 3.6% in 2005. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped the economy recover quickly. The trade deficit has expanded sharply as a result of high oil prices and imports of construction material. Diversifying beyond tourism and fishing and increasing employment are the major challenges facing the government. Over the longer term 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.
$2.839 billion (2006 est.)
$906 million (2006 est.)
18% (2006 est.)
$3,900 (2002 est.)
agriculture: 16% ; industry: 7% ; services: 77% (2006 est.)
101,300 (2004)
agriculture: 22% ; industry: 18% ; services: 60% (1995)
NEGL% (2003 est.)
21% (2004)
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

6% (2005 est.)

revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants) ; expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.)

coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
-0.9% (2004 est.)
169 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 100% ; hydro: 0% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
157.1 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
5,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
1,517 bbl/day (2004)
6,390 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$167 million f.o.b. (2006)
fish
Thailand 33.1%, UK 14.3%, Sri Lanka 11.9%, Japan 10.3%, France 6.9%, Algeria 6.1% (2006)
$930 million f.o.b. (2006)
Singapore 23.2%, UAE 15.8%, India 11.1%, Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 6.9%, Sri Lanka 5.7% (2006)


$482 million (2006 est.)


$NA
rufiyaa (MVR)
MVR
rufiyaa per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)
calendar year
$66.83 million (2005)
32,500 (2006)
262,600 (2006)
general assessment: telephone services have improved; each island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile cellular networks with rapidly expanding subscribership ; domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax service ; international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
35,000 (1999)
1 (2006)
10,000 (1999)
.mv
1,082 (2007)
1 (2000)
20,100 (2005)

5 (2007)
total: 3 ; over 3,047 m: 1 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
total: 2 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)



total: 88 km ; paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on Laamu ; note: village roads are mainly compacted coral (2006)

total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 85,935 GRT/114,054 DWT ; by type: cargo 17, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 ; foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) ; registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Tuvalu 1) (2007)
Male

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Quick Reaction Force, Security Protection Group, Coast Guard (2007)
18 years of age (est.) (2004)
males age 18-49: 71,774 ; females age 18-49: 69,229 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 56,687 ; females age 18-49: 54,454 (2005 est.)

5.5% (2005 est.)
Maldives has no regular armed forces; the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) includes ground forces, the Coast Guard, and a small, undermanned air element; with its small size and with little servable equipment, the MNDF is inadequate to prevent external aggression and is primarily tasked to reinforce the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and ensure security in the exclusive economic zone (2007)
none
IDPs: 10,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2006)


