Maldives

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

Highways

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

Merchant marine

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

Ports

Male, Gan

Telecommunications

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

Branches

National Security Service (paramilitary police force)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 55,369; fit for military service 30,919

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.)

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: 11 million kWh consumption per capita: 50 kWh (1990)

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)

Exports

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

External debt

$148 million (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

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

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)

15% (1993 est.)

National product

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

National product per capita

$620 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

6% (1993 est.)

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.

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, in the Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of India

Map references

Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 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

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)

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 NA); 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

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

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Political parties and leaders

no organized political parties; 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: 2581

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African

Infant mortality rate

53.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 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: 64.67 years male: 63.24 years female: 66.17 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

252,077 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

3.61% (1994 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim

Total fertility rate

6.26 children born/woman (1994 est.)