Geography

Location: Southern Asia, in the Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of India

Map references: Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area 300 sq km
land area 300 sq km
comparative area slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 644 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone 35-310 nm as defined by geographic coordinates; segment of zone coincides with maritime boundary with India
territorial sea 12 nm

International disputes: none

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

Terrain: flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land 10%
permanent crops 0%
meadows and pastures 3%
forest and woodland 3%
other 84%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies
natural hazards low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
international agreements party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

Note: 1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls; archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

People

Population: 252,077 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.61% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 43.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 7.45 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 53.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population 64.67 years
male 63.24 years
female 66.17 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.26 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Nationality:
noun Maldivian(s)
adjective Maldivian

Ethnic divisions: Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African

Religions: Sunni Muslim

Languages: Divehi (dialect of Sinhala; script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
total population 92%
male 92%
female 92%

Labor force: 66,000 (est.)
by occupation fishing industry 25%

Government

Names:
conventional long form Republic of Maldives
conventional short form Maldives

Digraph: MV

Type: republic

Capital: Male

Administrative divisions: 19 districts (atolls); Aliff, Baa, Daalu, Faafu, Gaafu Aliff, Gaafu Daalu, Haa Aliff, Haa Daalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Laviyani, Meemu, Naviyani, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Waavu

Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Constitution: 4 June 1968

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 and head of government President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); election last held 1 October 1993 (next to be held NA); results - President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM was reelected with 92.76% of the vote
cabinet Ministry of Atolls; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral
Citizens' Council (Majlis) elections last held on 7 December 1989 (next to be held 7 December 1994); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (48 total, 40 elected)

Judicial branch: High Court

Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries

Member of: AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US: Maldives has no embassy in the US, but does have a UN mission in New York; Permanent Representative to the UN Ahmed ZAKI

consular agency Midhath Hilmy, Male
telephone 2581

Flag: 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

Economy

Overview: The economy is based on fishing, tourism, and shipping. Agriculture is limited to the production of a few subsistence crops that provide only 10% of food requirements. Fishing is the largest industry, employing 25% of the work force and accounting for over 60% of exports; it is also an important source of government revenue. During the 1980s tourism became one of the most important and highest growth sectors of the economy. In 1988 industry accounted for about 5% of GDP. Real GDP is officially estimated to have increased by about 10% annually during the period 1974-90.

National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $140 million (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate: 6% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $620 (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: NEGL%

Budget:
revenues $95 million (excluding foreign transfers)
expenditures $143 million, including capital expenditures of $71 million (1993 est.)

Exports: $56.3 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities fish, clothing
partners US, UK, Sri Lanka

Imports: $173.6 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products
partners Singapore, Germany, Sri Lanka, India

External debt: $148 million (1993 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 24% (1990); accounts for 6% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity 5,000 kW
production 11 million kWh
consumption per capita 50 kWh (1990)

Industries: fishing and fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, some coconut processing, garments, woven mats, coir (rope), handicrafts

Agriculture: accounts for almost 25% of GDP (including fishing); fishing more important than farming; limited production of coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; most staple foods must be imported; fish catch of 67,000 tons (1990 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $28 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $125 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $14 million

Currency: 1 rufiyaa (Rf) = 100 laari

Exchange rates: rufiyaa (Rf) per US$1 - 11.105 (January 1994), 10.957 (1993), 10.569 (1992), 10.253 (1991), 9.509 (1990), 9.0408 (1989)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Highways:
total NA
paved NA
unpaved NA (Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the city)

Ports: Male, Gan

Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 38,848 GRT/58,496 DWT, cargo 12, container 1, oil tanker 1

Airports:
total 2
usable 2
with permanent-surface runways 2
with runways over 3,659 m 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m 2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m 0

Telecommunications: minimal domestic and international facilities; 2,804 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station