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. In mid-2012 the Commission of National Inquiry was set by the Government to probe events leading to the regime change. Though no evidence of a coup was found the report recommended the need to strengthen the country's democratic institutions to avert similar events in the future and to further investigate alleged police misconduct during the crisis. 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.

Geographic coordinates: 3 15 N 73 00 E

Area
Rank: 210
Land: 298 km²
Water: 0 km²
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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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 highest point: unnamed location on Viligili in the Addu Atholhu 2.4 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use
Permanent crops: 10%
Other: 80% (2011)

Irrigated land: 0 km² NA (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 0.03 km³ (2011)

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

Population: 393,988 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 177
Growth rate: -0.11% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 208
Below poverty line: 16% (2008)

Nationality
Adjective: Maldivian

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)

Age structure
15-24 years: 24.2% (male 56,016/female 39,443)
25-54 years: 46% (male 108,025/female 73,074)
55-64 years: 4.5% (male 9,379/female 8,431)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 7,961/female 8,621) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 43.3 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.4 %
Potential support ratio: 13.4 (2013)

Median age
Male: 27 years
Female: 26.2 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.11% (2013 est.)
Rank: 208

Birth rate: 15.38 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 132

Death rate: 3.8 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 211

Net migration rate: -12.65 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 215

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 3.91% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: MALE (capital) 120,000 (2009)

Environment
Current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.44 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.53 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.34 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 23.9

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 74
Male: 27.95 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 22.93 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 102
Male: 72.65 years
Female: 77.31 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 156

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 34.7% (2009)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 1.6 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 4.3 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 147
People living with hivaids: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 162
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 133

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 12.9% (2008)
Rank: 126

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 17.8% (2009)
Rank: 41

Education expenditures: 7.2% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 23

Literacy
Total population: 98.4%
Male: 98.4%
Female: 98.4% (2006 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 12 years
Female: 13 years (2003)

Country name
Conventional short form: Maldives
Local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
Local short form: Dhivehi Raajje

Government type: republic

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 4 10 N 73 30 E
Time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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)

Independence: 26 July 1965 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 26 July (1965)

Constitution: many previous; latest ratified 7 August 2008 (2010)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: President Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom (since 17 November 2013); Vice President Mohamed JAMEEL Ahmed (since 17 November 2013)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers is appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election held on 7 September 2013 was annulled by the Supreme Court; rerun of first round held on 9 November 2013 and runoff held on 16 November (next election to be held in 2018)
Election results: first round (9 November 2013); percent of vote - Mohamed NASHEED 46.9% Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom 29.7% Qasim IBRAHIM 23.3%; runoff (postponed to 16 November 2013); percent of vote - Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom elected president 51.4% Mohamed NASHEED 48.6%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament 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
Elections: last held on 9 May 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party as of February 2013 - MDP 29 PPM 18 DRP 14 JP 6 PA 2 DQP 1 independents 7

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission - a separate body of selected high government officials and the public - and upon confirmation by voting members of the People's Council; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: High Court; Criminal Civil Family Juvenile and Drug Courts; Magistrate Courts (on each of the inhabited islands)

Political parties and leaders:

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
In the us chancery: 800 2nd Avenue Suite 400E New York NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 599-6,194
In the us FAX: [1] (212) 599-6,195
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka currently 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: coconut palm yellowfin tuna

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Mohamed Jameel DIDI/Wannakuwattawaduge DON AMARADEVA

Economy overview: Tourism Maldives' largest economic activity accounts for 28% 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. Lower than expected 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 Stand-By 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 on general goods and services in October 2011 and a new Business Profit Tax introduced in July 2011 have provided a boost to revenue. Economic growth slowed to 3.4% of GDP in 2012 compared to 7.0% in 2011 because of slower tourist arrivals and weak global conditions. Diversifying the economy beyond tourism and fishing reforming public finance increasing employment opportunities and combating corruption cronyism and a growing drug problem are major near-term challenges facing the government. Gross foreign reserves at the end of November 2012 were approximately $356 million compared with $326 million in 2011 and were sufficient to finance only 2.6 months of imports. 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: 182

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 161

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 123

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 17%
Services: 80% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: coconuts corn sweet potatoes; fish

Industries: tourism fish processing shipping boat building coconut processing woven mats rope handicrafts coral and sand mining

Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (2004 est.)
Rank: 145

Labor force: 152,500 (2010)
Rank: 177
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 65% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 177

Population below poverty line: 16% (2008)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 33.3% (FY09/10)

Budget
Expenditures: $917 million (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -13.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 212

Taxes and other revenues: 30.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 90

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 16.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 149

Central bank discount rate: 6.96% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 43

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.2% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 86

Stock of narrow money: $531.4 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 158

Stock of broad money: $1.237 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 161

Stock of domestic credit: $1.601 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 138

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

Current account balance: $437 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 108

Exports: $316 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 180
Commodities: fish
Partners: France 18.9% Thailand 15.8% UK 11.4% US 9.4% Sri Lanka 8.6% Italy 8.1% Germany 6.4% (2012)

Imports: $1.314 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 174
Commodities: petroleum products clothing intermediate and capital goods
Partners: Singapore 21.7% UAE 20.9% India 9.6% Malaysia 7.6% China 6% Thailand 5.6% Sri Lanka 4% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $326 million (30 November 2011 est.)
Rank: 151

Debt external: $684.2 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 163

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 301.1 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 172
Consumption: 280 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 177
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 107
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 109
Installed generating capacity: 62,080 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 179
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 44
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 143
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 185
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 99

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 196
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 158
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 97
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 166

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 209
Products consumption: 6,875 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 162
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 199
Products imports: 6,088 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 141

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 170
Consumption: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 175
Exports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 151
Imports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 100
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 173

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.071 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 166

Telephones
Main lines in use: 23,140 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 183
Mobile cellular: 560,000 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 166

Telephone system
Domestic: each island now has at least 1 public telephone and there are mobile-cellular networks with a rapidly expanding subscribership that has reached 135 per 100 persons
International: country code - 960; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2011)

Broadcast media: state-owned radio and TV monopoly until recently; state-owned TV operates 2 channels; 3 privately owned TV stations; state owns Voice of Maldives and operates both an entertainment and a music-based station; 5 privately owned radio stations (2012)

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

Military expenditures: 5% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 16

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

Airports: 9 (2013)
Rank: 159
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)

Roadways
Rank: 215
Paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on Laamu

Merchant marine
Rank: 97
By type: bulk carrier 1 cargo 14 petroleum tanker 1 refrigerated cargo 2
Foreign owned: 4 (Singapore 4)
Registered in other countries: 4 (Panama 2 Tuvalu 1 unknown 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Male

Disputes international: none