Maldives <div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"> <table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border: 1px solid #9866FF; background-color: #f3f3ff" width="200"> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Flag</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 2px">Image:mv-flag.png</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; border-top: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Quick Facts</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Capital'''</td><td>Male</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Government'''</td><td>republic </td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Currency'''</td><td>rufiyaa (MVR)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Area'''</td><td>''total:'' 300 sq km ''water:'' 0 sq km ''land:'' 300 sq km</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Population'''</td><td>320,165 (July 2002 est.)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Language'''</td><td>Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Religion'''</td><td>Sunni Muslim</td></tr> </table> </div>  The '''Maldives''' are an archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts) in the Islands of the Indian Ocean|Indian Ocean. They lie south-southwest of India and are considered part of South Asia|Southern Asia. Image:mv-map.png|frame|Map of Maldives WikiPedia:{{PAGENAME}} ==Regions== ; '''Administrative divisions''' : 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 ==Cities== *Male - Capital *Gan ==Other destinations== Mirihi resort comes highly rated - a very pleasant experience with great diving even on the house reef. They make their money on the drink (even water) however. ==Understand== Formerly a Sultanate under Dutch and English protection, the Maldives are now a republic. Allegations of corruption continue to plague the regime of President Gayoom, as do reports of political dissidents being exiled. None of this appears to bother tourists, however, who are attracted to the warm Indian Ocean waters. The Maldives were in the path of the tsunami of late 2004, however damage is reported to have been minor. ==Get in== ===By plane=== The major airport is in Male, receiving flights from Sri Lanka and India among other destinations. Be warned if you're travelling from London: although there are attractive flight times on Friday night / Sunday afternoon with Air Lanka, the quality of the airline is lacking - we experienced broken seats and entertainment units on both flights and so many units were broken we were unable to sit together despite the plane having 2 dozen spare seats. ===By boat=== ==Get around== ==Talk== Maldivian Dhivehi, a dialect of Sinhalese (spoken in Sri Lanka), is the official language. It is written in an Arabic-derived script. English is widely spoken, particularly by officials and those in the tourist industry. ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== ==Learn== ==Work== ==Stay safe== ==Stay healthy== ==Respect== ==Contact== ==External links== {{msg:stub}} fr:Maldives ---- ''The rest of this article is an Wikitravel:CIA World Factbook 2002 import|import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a '''real''' Wikitravel country article according to our Wikitravel:country article template|country article template. Please Wikitravel:plunge forward|plunge forward and integrate it into the article above.'' ---- ==Geography== ; '''Geographic coordinates''' : 3 15 N, 73 00 E ; '''Area''' : ''total:'' 300 sq km ''water:'' 0 sq km ''land:'' 300 sq km ; '''Area - comparative''' : about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC ; '''Coastline''' : 644 km ; '''Maritime claims''' : measured from claimed archipelagic baselines ''territorial sea:'' 12 NM ''exclusive economic zone:'' 200 NM ''contiguous zone:'' 24 NM ; '''Natural resources''' : fish ; '''Land use''' : ''arable land:'' 3.33% ''permanent crops:'' 6.67% ''other:'' 90% (1998 est.) ; '''Environment - current issues''' : depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching ; '''Environment - international agreements''' : ''party to:'' Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection ''signed, but not ratified:'' none of the selected agreements ==People== ; '''Nationality''' : ''noun:'' Maldivian(s) ''adjective:'' Maldivian ; '''Ethnic groups''' : South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs ; '''Religions''' : Sunni Muslim ==Government== ; '''Country name''' : ''conventional long form:'' Republic of Maldives ''conventional short form:'' Maldives ''local short form:'' Dhivehi Raajje ''local long form:'' Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa ; '''Legal system''' : based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ; '''Judicial branch''' : High Court ; '''Diplomatic representation in the US''' : Maldives does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York; permanent representative is Dr. Mohamed LATHEEF ; '''Diplomatic representation from the US''' : the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there ; '''Flag description''' : 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 ==Economy== ; '''Economy - overview''' : 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. Almost 400,000 tourists visited the islands in 1998. 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 minor 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. ; '''Industries''' : fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining ; '''Agriculture - products''' : coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish ; '''Exports - commodities''' : fish, clothing ; '''Imports - commodities''' : consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products ; '''Currency''' : rufiyaa (MVR) ; '''Currency code''' : MVR ; '''Exchange rates''' : rufiyaa per US dollar - 11.770 (fixed rate since 1995) ==Communications== ; '''Telephones - main lines in use''' : 21,000 (1999) ; '''Telephones - mobile cellular''' : 1,290 (1997) ; '''Telephone system''' : ''general assessment:'' minimal domestic and international facilities ''domestic:'' interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service ''international:'' satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) ; '''Radio broadcast stations''' : AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) ; '''Radios''' : 35,000 (1999) ; '''Television broadcast stations''' : 1 (1997) ; '''Televisions''' : 10,000 (1999) ; '''Internet country code''' : .mv ; '''Internet Service Providers (ISPs)''' : 1 (2000) ; '''Internet users''' : 6,000 (2001) ==Transportation== ; '''Highways''' : ''total:'' NA km ''paved:'' NA km ''unpaved:'' NA km; note - Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the city (1988 est.) ; '''Airports''' : 5 (2001) ; '''Airports - with paved runways''' : ''total:'' 2 ''over 3,047 m:'' 1 ''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 1 (2002) ; '''Airports - with unpaved runways''' : ''total:'' 3 ''914 to 1,523 m:'' 3 (2002) ==Military== ; '''Military branches''' : National Security Service de:Malediven First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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