Branches:
Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal
Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 4,942,387; fit for military service 3,001,972; reach
military age (21) annually 182,850 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.2 billion, 3% of GDP (1994 est.)
@Maldives, Geography
Location:
Southern Asia, in the Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of India
Map references:
Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
300 sq km
land area:
300 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
644 km
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
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March);
rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Terrain:
flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land:
10%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
3%
forest and woodland:
3%
other:
84%
Irrigated land:
NA sq 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
Note:
1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls; archipelago of strategic
location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
@Maldives, People
Population: 252,077 (July 1994 est.) Population growth rate: 3.61% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 43.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 7.45 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 53.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.67 years male: 63.24 years female: 66.17 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.26 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian Ethnic divisions: Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African Religions: Sunni Muslim Languages: Divehi (dialect of Sinhala; script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985) total population: 92% male: 92% female: 92% Labor force: 66,000 (est.) by occupation: fishing industry 25%
@Maldives, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Maldives
conventional short form:
Maldives
Digraph:
MV
Type:
republic
Capital:
Male
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
Independence:
26 July 1965 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Constitution:
4 June 1968
Legal system:
based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily
in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
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
Legislative branch:
unicameral
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)
Judicial branch:
High Court
Political parties and leaders:
no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for
the past eight centuries
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
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
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
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
@Maldives, Economy
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.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $140 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$620 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NEGL%
Budget:
revenues:
$95 million (excluding foreign transfers)
expenditures:
$143 million, including capital expenditures of $71 million (1993
est.)
Exports:
$56.3 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
fish, clothing
partners:
US, UK, Sri Lanka
Imports:
$173.6 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products
partners:
Singapore, Germany, Sri Lanka, India
External debt:
$148 million (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 24% (1990); accounts for 6% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
5,000 kW
production:
11 million kWh
consumption per capita:
50 kWh (1990)
Industries:
fishing and fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, some
coconut processing, garments, woven mats, coir (rope), handicrafts
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.)
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
Currency:
1 rufiyaa (Rf) = 100 laari
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)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Maldives, Communications