Maldives
A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887. The islands became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated Maldives' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. Following political demonstrations in the capital Male in August 2003, GAYOOM and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Political parties were legalized in 2005. In June 2008, a constituent assembly - termed the "Special Majlis" - finalized a new constitution ratified by GAYOOM in August 2008. 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 GAYOOM regime. In early February 2012, after several weeks of street protests in response to his ordering the arrest of a top judge, NASHEED purportedly resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. A government-appointed Commission of National Inquiry concluded there was no evidence of a coup, but NASHEED contends that police and military personnel forced him to resign. NASHEED, WAHEED, and Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom ran in the 2013 elections with YAMEEN ultimately winning the presidency after three rounds of voting. As president, YAMEEN weakened democratic institutions, curtailed civil liberties, jailed his political opponents, restricted the press, and exerted control over the judiciary to strengthen his hold on power and limit dissent. In September 2018, YAMEEN lost his reelection bid to Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH, a parliamentarian of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), who had the support of a coalition of four parties that came together to defeat YAMEEN and restore democratic norms to Maldives. In April 2019, SOLIH's MDP won 65 of 87 seats in parliament.

geography

location

3.15° N, 73. 0° E
Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India

area

298 sq km
land
298 sq km
water
0 sq km

land boundaries

0 km

coastline

644 km

climate

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

terrain

flat, with white sandy beaches

elevation

2 m
lowest point
Indian Ocean
0 m
highest point
8th tee, golf course, Villingi Island
5 m

natural resources

  • fish

land use

arable land
10 %
permanent crops
10 %
permanent pasture
3.3 %
forest
3 %
other
73.7 %

population distribution

about a third of the population lives in the centrally located capital city of Male and almost a tenth in southern Addu City; the remainder of the populace is spread over the 200 or so populated islands of the archipelago

people

population

  • 391,904
  • 177
    global rank

nationality

  • Maldivian(s)
    noun
  • Maldivian
    adjective

ethnic groups

  • homogeneous mixture of Sinhalese
  • Dravidian
  • Arab
  • Australasian
  • and African resulting from historical changes in regional hegemony over marine trade routes

languages

  • Dhivehi
    official, dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic
  • English
    spoken by most government officials

religions

  • Sunni Muslim

birth rate

  • 16
    per 1,000 population
  • 111
    global rank

death rate

  • 4.1
    per 1,000 population
  • 213
    global rank

urban population

40.7 %

major urban areas

  • Male
    pop. 177,000

life expectancy

  • 76.4
    total population
  • 96
    global rank
74
male
78.9
female

adult obesity rate

  • 8.6%
    percent of adults
  • 148
    global rank

government

country name

    conventional

  • Republic of Maldives
    long form
  • Maldives
    short form

    local

  • Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
    long form
  • Dhivehi Raajje
    short form

government type

presidential republic

capital

Male
4.10 N, 73.30 E

independence

national holidays

  • Independence Day
    26 July

legal system

Islamic (sharia) legal system with English common law influences, primarily in commercial matters

age of suffrage

18

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 colors

  • red
  • green
  • white

national anthem

"Gaumee Salaam" (National Salute)

economy

overview

Maldives has quickly become a middle-income country, driven by the rapid growth of its tourism and fisheries sectors, but the country still contends with a large and growing fiscal deficit. Infrastructure projects, largely funded by China, could add significantly to debt levels. Political turmoil and the declaration of a state of emergency in February 2018 led to the issuance of travel warnings by several countries whose citizens visit Maldives in significant numbers, but the overall impact on tourism revenue was unclear. In 2015, Maldives’ Parliament passed a constitutional amendment legalizing foreign ownership of land; foreign land-buyers must reclaim at least 70% of the desired land from the ocean and invest at least $1 billion in a construction project approved by Parliament. Diversifying the economy beyond tourism and fishing, reforming public finance, increasing employment opportunities, and combating corruption, cronyism, and a growing drug problem are near-term challenges facing the government. 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.

GDP

6,901,000,000 USD
2017

agriculture products

  • coconuts
  • corn
  • sweet potatoes
  • fish

poverty level

15%
2009

budget

  • 1,190,000,000
    revenue (USD)
  • 1,643,000,000
    expenditures (USD)

communications

telephones

    fixed lines

  • 18,754
    total subscriptions
  • 179
    global rank

    mobile cellular

  • 857,934
    total subscriptions
  • 162
    global rank

broadcast media

state-owned radio and TV monopoly until recently; 4 state-operated and 7 privately owned TV stations and 4 state-operated and 7 privately owned radio stations (2019)

internet

.mv
country code

    users

  • 248,004
    total
  • 63.19
    % of population
  • 170
    global rank

energy

electricity access

100%
2016

transportation

air transport

    airports

  • 9
    total
  • 7
    paved

roadways

93 km
total length

military

service age

18