Maldives

Map of Maldives Republic of Maldives National name: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa President: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (1978) Current government officials Total area: 116 sq mi (300 sq km) Population (2006 est.): 359,008 (growth rate: 2.8%); birth rate: 34.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 54.9/1000; life expectancy: 64.4; density per sq mi: 3,099 Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Malé, 81,600 Monetary unit: Rufiya Languages: Maldivian Dhivehi (official); English spoken by most government officials Ethnicity/race: South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs Religion: Islam (Sunni) Literacy rate: 97% (2003 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2002 est.): $1.25 billion; per capita $3,900. Real growth rate: –5.5%. Inflation: 5.6%. Unemployment: negl. (2003 est.). Arable land: 13%. Agriculture: coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish. Labor force: 88,000 (2000); agriculture 22%, industry 18%, services 60% (1995). Industries: fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining. Natural resource: fish. Exports: $123 million f.o.b. (2004 est.); fish, clothing. Imports: $567 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods. Major trading partners: U.S., Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, UK, Germany, Singapore, UAE, India, Malaysia, Bahrain (2004). Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 21,000 (1999); mobile cellular: 1,290 (1997). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 35,000 (1999). Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997). Televisions: 10,000 (1999). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000). Internet users: 6,000 (2001). Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: n.a.; paved: n.a.; unpaved: n.a. Ports and harbors: Gan, Malé. Airports: 5 (2002). International disputes: none. Major sources and definitions

Geography

The Republic of Maldives is a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean about 417 mi (671 km) southwest of Sri Lanka. Its 1,190 coral islets stretch over an area of 35,200 sq mi (90,000 sq km). With concerns over global warming and the shrinking of the polar ice caps, the Maldives is directly threatened, as none of its islands rises more than six feet above sea level.

Government

Republic.

History

The Maldives (formerly called the Maldive Islands) were first settled in the 5th century B.C. by Buddhist seafarers from India and Sri Lanka. According to tradition, Islam was adopted in A.D. 1153. Originally the islands were under the suzerainty of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). They came under British protection in 1887 and were a dependency of then-colony Ceylon until 1948. An independence agreement with Britain was signed July 26, 1965. For centuries a sultanate, the islands adopted a republican form of government in 1952, but the sultanate was restored in 1954. In 1968, however, as the result of a referendum, a republic was again established in the recently independent country. Ibrahim Nasir, the authoritarian president since 1968, was removed from office and replaced by the more progressive Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 1978. Gayoom was elected to a sixth five-year term in 2003.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a tremendously powerful tsunami in the Indian Ocean devastated 12 Asian countries. The Maldives reported 82 deaths and suffered enormous damage: 14 of the archipelago's islands became uninhabitable, requiring its inhabitants to be permanently evacuated, and another 79 islands were left without safe drinking water.

Parliament voted in June 2005 to shift to a multiparty democracy. In an August 2007 referendum, voters supported President Gayoom's plan for a presidential system of government, similar to that of the United States. The opposition, which supports a parliamentary system, claimed the vote was rigged, and three members of Gayoom's cabinet resigned.

See also Encyclopedia: Maldives
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Maldives
Ministry of Planning and National Development http://www.planning.gov.mv/index2.htm .

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