Embassy of Maldives in China

General Information

Official Name:	Republic of Maldives
Common Name:	Maldives
Location:	Indian Ocean
Area:	118,000 km (of which land is 298 sq. km.)
Number of islands:	1192 (of which 194 are inhabited, 97 are resort islands) – Grouped into 20 Atolls
Administrative Divisions:	Mathi-Uthuru (Upper-North) Province Uthuru (North)Province Medhu-Uthuru (Mid-North) Province Medhu (Mid) Province Medhu-Dhekunu (Mid-South)Province Mathi-Dhekunu (Upper-South)Province Dhekunu (South) Province
Capital:	Malé
Population:	Approx. 300,000
Major Industries:	Tourism and Fisheries
Major Exports:	Fish products
Major Imports:	Consumer goods, capital goods and petroleum
National Symbols:	The National Emblem The National Emblem comprises a Coconut Palm, a Crescent and Star, two National Flags and the traditional Title of the State.
	The National Flag The National Flag comprises a green rectangle with a red border and a white Crescent in the centre.
National Tree:	Coconut Palm
National Flower	Pink Rose
Official Language:	Dhivehi
Second Language:	English
Religion:	Islam (100% Sunni Muslim)
Government:	Democratic
Justice System:	The constitution of the Maldives which is based on Islamic Sharia
Head of State:	President H.E. Mr. Mohamed Nasheed
Head of Government:	President H.E. Mr. Mohamed Nasheed
Independence day:	26 July 1965 (from United Kingdom)
Republic day:	11 November 1968
Time difference:	+5 hrs GMT
Currency:	Rufiyaa (Notes) and Laari (Coins)
Exchange rate:	US$ 1.00 = Rf 12.85
Official Weekly Holidays:	Friday and Saturday
Business Hours:	Government offices: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday to Thursday Banks: 9:00am to 03:00 pm Sunday to Thursday
Airports:	International: 2 (Malé International Airport, located in the island of Hulhule and Gan in Addu Atoll) Domestic: 3
Seaports:	3 (Malé, H.Dh. Kulhudhuffushi, S. Hithadhoo)
Climate:	Tropical (Average rainfall is 2183.9 mm & Humidity – 82%)
Average Temperatures:	30.7 degrees Celsius (Max) 25.7 degrees Celsius (Min)
Average Rainfall:	1868.9 mm
Electricity:	240 Volts, 50 Hz

Geography

The Maldives is a group of Atolls in the Indian Ocean with 1192 islands that stretch for about 820 km from North to South, and are 130 km at the widest point. No island exceeds a length of 7.2 Km or an altitude of 3 meters above sea-level. 194 islands are inhabited; the rest includes the 97 tourist resorts and uninhabited islands, some of which are used mostly for agricultural activities. Male' the capital with a population of over 75,000, is the seat of government and the centre of trade, commerce, business and education. Malé is located in the middle of the atoll chain.

With concerns over global warming and the shrinking of the polar ice caps, the Maldives is directly threatened as Maldives is a low-lying vulnerable developing country. On 26 December 2004, the Maldives was devastated by the tremendously powerful tsunami in the Indian Ocean. According to the Report of UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of 9 January 2005, it is recorded that Maldives suffered enormous damage – 82 deaths, 14 of the islands became uninhabitable requiring its inhabitants to be permanently evacuated. Another 79 islands were left without safe drinking water.
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History

The Maldives was formerly known as the Maldive Islands and it is believed that the first inhabitants in the Maldives were Giraavaru tribe in the 5th century BC. Before 1153 AD the settlers of the Maldives were Aryans from Sri Lanka and India, which is the reason for the similarities between old Sinhala and Dhivehi. Archaeological findings state that before the Maldivians embraced Islam Buddhism was practiced by the then Maldivians. Islam was first brought by the Arab traders and travelers who were settled in the Malabar Coast of India who travelled to the Maldives as it was on route of those traders. A Moroccan traveler and historian Mohammad Abdullah Ibn-Battuta visited Maldives during 14th century and documented that the Maldives embraced Islam after an Islamic scholar, Abul Barakaath Yoosuf Al Barbaree visited to the Maldives.

For centuries the Maldives remained a Sultanate and in 1887 the Maldives became a British protectorate. Its first Republican form of Government was established in 1952 but the sultanate was restored in 1954. However, in 1968 as a result of a referendum a republic was established again in the Maldives, which had already signed the declaration of independence with the British on 26 July 1965. .
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Population

The Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of the cultures reflecting the peoples who settled on the islands, reinforced by religion and language. The earliest settlers were probably from southern India and Sri Lanka. They are linguistically and ethnically related to the people in the Indian subcontinent. They are ethnically known as ‘Dhivehin’. The population of Maldives based on the 2006 Census is 298,968 (151,459 male and 147,509 female) which by 2007 has reached 300,000.

Religion & Language

The religion in the Maldives is Islam (Sunni). Dhivehi is the official language, although English is widely spoken, and is used as a medium of education for secondary schools.

Work Force

Fisheries	8%
Manufacturing>	17%
Tourism	11%
Agriculture	4%
Other	60%

Economy

The Maldivian economy has grown consistently at a very impressive pace over the last two decades. Annual GDP growth has averaged 7.4 percent over the last 10 years, while inflation has been maintained at modest levels.

In recent years the economy of Maldives has been mainly based on tourism and fishing. Among this the main source of income is tourism industry. In 2006 the GDP of the country was US$ 907 million. The economy although small and largely dependent on just two key sectors has proven to be very resilient to external shocks. Tsunami of 2004 caused damages of US$ 375 million which excludes the US$ 100 million in damages to the resorts. Since then Maldivian economy has made a remarkable recovery.

Over the years Maldives has received economic assistance from various multilateral development organizations such as UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other UN bodies as well as individual donors.

In 1971 the United Nations (UN) categorized and compiled a list of countries which are least developed and deserving special attention by donor countries. Maldives was included in that list in 1971. Maldives enjoyed significant development assistance received by various donors until 1980s. However, as per capita income increased the economy improved and in 1997 Maldives became eligible for graduation from the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

In order to graduate smoothly and not disrupt two decades of sustained progress Maldives requested the UN to delay the graduation. Accordingly, the UN formulated a framework with three years transition period for the smooth transition of graduating countries and decided to delay the graduation of Maldives until 2008. The decision was reconsidered after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Eventually, on 1 January 2011, Maldives was graduated to middle-income status.