Maldives

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

2,804 telephones; minimal domestic and international facilities local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station

Television

broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA

Branches

National Security Service (paramilitary police force)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP MALI

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 57,172; males fit for military service 31,911 (1995 est.)

Agriculture

fishing, coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes

Budget

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

Currency

1 rufiyaa (Rf) = 100 laari

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

Electricity

capacity: 5,000 kW production: 30 million kWh consumption per capita: 123 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

rufiyaa (Rf) per US$1 - 11.770 (January 1995), 11.586 (1994), 10.957 (1993), 10.569 (1992), 10.253 (1991), 9.509 (1990)

Exports

$38.5 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: fish, clothing partners: US, UK, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Germany

External debt

$130 million (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$177.8 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products partners: Singapore, Germany, Sri Lanka, India, Japan

Industrial production

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

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

20% (1993)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $360 million (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$1,500 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

5.4% (1993 est.)

Overview

Fishing is the largest industry, employing 25% of the work force and accounting for over 60% of exports. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. During the 1980s tourism became one of the most important and highest growth sectors of the economy. In 1993, tourism accounted for 17% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. The Maldivian government initiated 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 cultivatable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. In 1993, industry which consisted mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts accounted for about 6% of GDP.

Unemployment rate

NEGL%

Area

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

Climate

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

Coastline

644 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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

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

Map references

Asia

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

Natural resources

fish

Note

1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls; archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

Terrain

flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters

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

Capital

Male

Constitution

4 June 1968

Digraph

MV

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

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 1998); results - President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM was reelected with 92.76% of the vote cabinet: Ministry of Atolls; appointed by the president

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

Independence

26 July 1965 (from UK)

Judicial branch

High Court

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Citizens' Council (Majlis): elections last held 2 December 1994 (next to be held NA December 1999); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (48 total, 40 elected, 8 appointed by the president) independents 40

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, WMO, WTO

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Political parties and leaders

although political parties are not banned, none exist; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there consular agency: Midhath Hilmy, Male telephone: 322581

Age structure

0-14 years: 47% (female 60,038; male 63,042) 15-64 years: 50% (female 63,526; male 67,020) 65 years and over: 3% (female 3,537; male 4,147) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

42.8 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African

Infant mortality rate

50 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.49 years male: 63.99 years female: 67.07 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1985) total population: 91% male: 91% female: 92%

Nationality

noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

261,310 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

3.58% (1995 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim

Total fertility rate

6.17 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Airports

total: 2 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

Highways

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

Merchant marine

total: 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 50,384 GRT/77,771 DWT ships by type: cargo 14, container 1, oil tanker 1

Ports

Gan, Male

Railroads

0 km