]! ^! The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government have pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago. 
]" ^" Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India ^# 3 15 N, 73 00 E ^$ Asia ^% `! 300 sq km `" 300 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC ^' 0 km ^( 644 km ^) measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm ^* tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) ^+ flat, with white sandy beaches ^, `% Indian Ocean 0 m `& unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m ^- fish ^. `' 13.33% `( 16.67% `) 70% (2001) ^/ NA sq km ^0 low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise ^1 depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection `L none of the selected agreements ^2 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean 
]# ^3 349,106 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 43.9% (male 78,794/female 74,505) `+ 53% (male 94,488/female 90,624) `, 3.1% (male 5,339/female 5,356) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 17.69 years `- 17.58 years `. 17.8 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.82% (2005 est.) ^7 35.43 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 7.24 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.06 male(s)/female `+ 1.04 male(s)/female `, 1 male(s)/female `1 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 56.52 deaths/1,000 live births `- 55.63 deaths/1,000 live births `. 57.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 64.06 years `- 62.76 years `. 65.42 years (2005 est.) ^= 5.02 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? less than 100 (2001 est.) ^@ NA ^A `2 Maldivian(s) `3 Maldivian ^B South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs ^C Sunni Muslim ^D Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 97.2% `- 97.1% `. 97.3% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Maldives `5 Maldives `V Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa `W Dhivehi Raajje ^H republic ^I Male ^J 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and 1 other first-order administrative division*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu ^K 26 July 1965 (from UK) ^L Independence Day, 26 July (1965) ^M adopted 1 January 1998 ^N based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 21 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `7 President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `8 Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president `9 president nominated by the Majlis and then the nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 17 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) `: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3% ^Q unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) `9 last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) `: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 50 ^R High Court ^S although political parties are not banned, none exist ^T none ^U AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Dr. Mohamed LATHEEF `O 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 `P [1] (212) 599-6195 ^W the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there ^X 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 
]% ^Y Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began 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 lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. ^Z $1.25 billion (2002 est.) ^[ 2.3% (2002 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $3,900 (2002 est.) ^] `; 20% `< 18% `= 62% (2000 est.) ^^ 88,000 (2000) ^_ agriculture 22%, industry 18%, services 60% (1995) ^` NEGL% (2003 est.) ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" 1% (2002 est.) _# `@ $224 million (excluding foreign grants) `A $282 million, including capital expenditures of $80 million (2002 est.) _$ coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish _% fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining _& 4.4% (1996 est.) _' 124.4 million kWh (2002) _( 115.7 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 3,200 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ $90 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _0 fish, clothing _1 US 26.5%, Thailand 23.5%, Sri Lanka 12.3%, Japan 11.7%, UK 9.8%, Germany 4.9% (2004) _2 $392 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _3 petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods _4 Singapore 24.9%, Sri Lanka 10.6%, UAE 10.3%, India 10.2%, Malaysia 7.6%, Bahrain 5.4% (2004) _5 $281 million (2003 est.) _6 NA (1995) _7 rufiyaa (MVR) _8 rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001), 11.77 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 28,700 (2002) _; 41,900 (2002) _< `B minimal domestic and international facilities `C interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service `D country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) _= AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) _> 1 (1997) _? .mv _@ 532 (2003) _A 15,000 (2002) 
]' _B `! NA km `E NA km `F NA km _C Male _K `! 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 57,118 GRT/72,831 DWT by type: cargo 12, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 `\ 1 (2005) _D 5 (2004 est.) _E `! 2 `] 1 `G 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 3 `_ 3 (2004 est.) 
]( _F National Security Service includes Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard _M 18 years of age (est.) (2004) _] males age 18-49: 71,774 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 56,687 (2005 est.) _N $41.1 million (2004) _O 5.5% (2004) 
]) _H none _c IDPs: 12,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami victims) (2005) 