Map of Maldives | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: A sultanate since the 12th century the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887. It became a republic in 1968 three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated the islands' political scene for 30 years elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. Following political demonstrations in the capital Male in August 2003 the president and his government pledged to embark upon democratic reforms including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress was sluggish however and many promised reforms were slow to be realized. Nonetheless political parties were legalized in 2005. In June 2008 a constituent assembly - termed the 'Special Majlis' - finalized a new constitution which was ratified by the president in August. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate multi-party system were held in October 2008. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff poll by Mohamed NASHEED a political activist who had been jailed several years earlier by the former regime. President NASHEED faced a number of challenges including strengthening democracy and combating poverty and drug abuse. In early February 2012 after several weeks of street protests following his sacking of a top judge NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. Maldives officials have played a prominent role in international climate change discussions (due to the islands' low elevation and the threat from sea-level rise) on the United Nations Human Rights Council and in encouraging regional cooperation especially between India and Pakistan.


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

Geographic coordinates: 3 15 N 73 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 210
Comparative: about 1.7 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 644 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

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

Terrain: flat with white sandy beaches

Elevation

Natural resources: fish

Land use

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 0.03 km³ (1999)

Natural hazards: tsunamis; low elevation of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise

Geography
Note: 1190 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


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Population: 394,451 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 176
Growth rate: -0.127% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 203
Below poverty line: 16% (2008)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: South Indians Sinhalese Arabs

Languages: Dhivehi (official dialect of Sinhala script derived from Arabic) English (spoken by most government officials)

Religions: Sunni Muslim (official)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.127% (2012 est.)
Rank: 203

Birth rate: 15.12 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 133

Death rate: 3.76 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 209

Net migration rate: -12.64 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 214

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 75

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 101

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 156

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.595 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 2.6 beds/1000 population (2005)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 139
People living with hivaids: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 161
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 121

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 25.7% (2001)
Rank: 25

Education expenditures: 11.2% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 5

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital

Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 municipality*; Dhekunu (South) Maale* Mathi Dhekunu (Upper South) Mathi Uthuru (Upper North) Medhu (Central) Medhu Dhekunu (South Central) Medhu Uthuru (North Central) Uthuru (North)

Dependent areas

Independence: 26 July 1965 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 26 July (1965)

Constitution: new constitution ratified 7 August 2008

Legal system: Islamic religious legal system with English common law influences primarily in commercial matters

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or People's Majlis (77 seats; members elected by direct vote to serve five-year terms); note - the Majlis in February 2009 passed legislation that increased the number of seats to 77 from 50

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of voting members of the People's Council; High Court; Trial Courts; all lower court judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission

Political parties and leaders: Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Shaykh Hussein RASHEED Ahmed]; Dhivehi Qaumee Party or DQP [Hassan SAEED]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Ahmed THASMEEN Ali]; Gaumee Itthihaad Party (National Unity Party) or GIP [Mohamed WAHEED]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Ibrahim DIDI]; Maldives National Congress or MNC; Maldives Social Democratic Party or MSDP; Meedhu Dhaaira; People's Alliance or PA [Abdullah YAMEEN]; People's Party or PP; Poverty Alleviation Party or PAP; Progressive Party of Maldives or PPM [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Republican (Jumhooree) Party or JP [Gasim IBRAHIM]; Social Liberal Party or SLP [Mazian RASHEED]

International organization participation: ADB AOSIS C CP FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITU MIGA NAM OIC OPCW SAARC SACEP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ambassador Michele J. Sison is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits

Flag description: red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent moon; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag; red recalls those who have sacrificed their lives in defense of their country the green rectangle represents peace and prosperity and the white crescent signifies Islam

National symbols: crescent moon

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tourism Maldives' largest economic activity accounts for 30% of GDP and more than 60% of foreign exchange receipts. Fishing is the second leading sector but the fish catch has dropped sharply in recent years. 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. Falling tourist arrivals and fish exports combined with high government spending on social needs subsidies and civil servant salaries contributed to a balance of payments crisis which was temporarily eased with a $79.3 million IMF standby agreement. However after the first two disbursements the IMF withheld subsequent disbursements due to concerns over Maldives' growing budget deficit and the government has been seeking other sources of budgetary support ever since. A new Goods and Services Tax (GST) on tourism introduced in January 2011 and a new Business Profit Tax introduced in 2012 have provided a boost to revenue. Economic growth slowed to 3.5% of GDP in 2012 compared to 5.8% in 2011 because of slower tourist arrivals and weak global conditions. Diversifying the economy beyond tourism and fishing reforming public finance and increasing employment opportunities are major near-term 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 1 meter or less above sea level.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 179

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 98

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 122

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: coconuts corn sweet potatoes; fish

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (2004 est.)
Rank: 151

Labor force: 110,000 (2010)
Rank: 182

Unemployment rate: 14.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 175

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 16% (2008)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -14% of GDP (2011 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 210

Taxes and other revenues: 41.5% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 46

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6% (2010 est.)
Rank: 206

Central bank discount rate: 2.75% (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 108

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.38% (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 88

Stock of narrow money: $978.4 million (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 150

Stock of broad money: $1.241 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 162

Stock of domestic credit: $1.08 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 143

Market value of publicly traded shares: $555 million (31 December 2011 est.)

Current account balance: -$463 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 96

Exports: $163 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 179
Commodities: fish
Partners: France 19.2% Thailand 18.7% UK 10.4% Sri Lanka 10.1% India 8.5% Italy 8.2% Germany 4.7% (2011)

Imports: $1.388 billion (2008 est.)
Rank: 172
Commodities: petroleum products ships foodstuffs clothing intermediate and capital goods
Partners: Singapore 23.2% UAE 18% India 8.7% China 7.1% Malaysia 6.9% Sri Lanka 5.3% Thailand 4.9% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $943 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 157

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 300 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 172
Consumption: 279 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 178
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 106
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 111
Installed generating capacity: 62,010 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 176
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 27
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 144
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 186
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 162

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 169
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 157
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 100
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 168

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 179
Products consumption: 6,875 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 163
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 204
Products imports: 6,088 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 148

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 170
Consumption: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 176
Exports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 121
Imports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 102
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 173

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 919,000 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 167

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 24,100 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 183
Mobile cellular: 530,400 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 164

Telephone system

Broadcast media: state-owned radio and TV monopoly until recently; state-owned TV operates 2 channels; 2 privately-owned TV stations; state owns Voice of Maldives and operates both an entertainment and a music-based station; 5 privately-owned radio stations (2009)

Internet
Country code: .mv
Hosts: 3,296 (2012)
Hosts rank: 153
Users: 86,400 (2009)
Users rank: 164

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 13

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-28 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 10th grade or equivalent education required; must not be a member of a political party (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 6 (2012)
Rank: 176

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 215

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 97

Ports and terminals: Male


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs