Maldives

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

mean elevation:

2 m

lowest point:

Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point:

8th tee, golf course, Villingi Island 5 m

agricultural land:

23.3% (2011 est.)

arable land:

10% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 10% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 3.3% (2011 est.)

forest:

3% (2011 est.)

other:

73.7% (2011 est.)

• 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

• depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies;
• inadequate sewage treatment;
• coral reef bleaching

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• smallest Asian country;
• archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts);
• strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

noun:

Maldivian(s)

adjective:

Maldivian

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.27 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.19 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.81 male(s)/female

total population:

1.13 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Maldives

conventional short form:

Maldives

local long form:

Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa

local short form:

Dhivehi Raajje

etymology:

• archipelago apparently named after the main island (and capital) of Male;
• the word "Maldives" means "the islands (dives) of Male";
• alternatively, the name may derive from the Sanskrit word "maladvipa" meaning "garland of islands";
• Dhivehi Raajje in Dhivehi means "Kingdom of the Dhivehi people"

name:

Male

geographic coordinates:

4 10 N, 73 30 E

time difference:

UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

derived from the Sanskrit word "mahaalay" meaning "big house"

21 administrative atolls (atholhuthah, singular - atholhu); Addu (Addu City), Ariatholhu Dhekunuburi (South Ari Atoll), Ariatholhu Uthuruburi (North Ari Atoll), Faadhippolhu, Felidhuatholhu (Felidhu Atoll), Fuvammulah, Hahdhunmathi, Huvadhuatholhu Dhekunuburi (South Huvadhu Atoll), Huvadhuatholhu Uthuruburi (North Huvadhu Atoll), Kolhumadulu, Maale (Male), Maaleatholhu (Male Atoll), Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi (South Maalhosmadulu), Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi (North Maalhosmadulu), Miladhunmadulu Dhekunuburi (South Miladhunmadulu), Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi (North Miladhunmadulu), Mulakatholhu (Mulaku Atoll), Nilandheatholhu Dhekunuburi (South Nilandhe Atoll), Nilandheatholhu Uthuruburi (North Nilandhe Atoll), Thiladhunmathee Dhekunuburi (South Thiladhunmathi), Thiladhunmathee Uthuruburi (North Thiladhunmathi)

history:

many previous; latest ratified 7 August 2008

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by its membership and the signature of the president of the republic;
• passage of amendments to constitutional articles on rights and freedoms and the terms of office of Parliament and of the president also requires a majority vote in a referendum;
• amended 2015

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Maldives

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

unknown

chief of state:

• President Ibrahim "Ibu" Mohamed SOLIH (since 17 November 2018);
• Vice President Faisal NASEEM (since 17 November 2018);
• the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (since 17 November 2018); Vice President Faisal NASEEM (since 17 November 2018)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 23 September 2018 (next to be held in 2023)

election results:

Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH elected president (in 1 round); Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (MDP) 58.3%, Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom (PPM) 41.7%

description:

unicameral Parliament or People's Majlis (87 seats - includes 2 seats added by the Elections Commission in late 2018; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 6 April 2019 (next to be held in 2023)

election results:

• percent of vote - MDP 44.7%, JP 10.8%, PPM 8.7%, PNC 6.4%, MDA 2.8%, other 5.6%, independent 21%;
• seats by party - MDP 65, JP 5, PPM 5, PNC 3, MDA 2, independent 7;
• composition - men 83, women 4, percent of women 4.6%

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4-6 justices; note - 3 justices as of late 2019)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the president in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission - a 10-member body of selected high government officials and the public - and upon confirmation by voting members of the People's Majlis;
• judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

• High Court;
• Criminal, Civil, Family, Juvenile, and Drug Courts;
• Magistrate Courts (on each of the inhabited islands)

chief of mission:

Ambassador THILMEEZA Hussain (since 8 July 2019); There is currently no Maldives Embassy in Washington, DC, but its permanent representative to the United Nations in New York is accredited currently as ambassador to the United States. Jul 27, 2020 (2020)

chancery:

801 Second Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017

telephone:

[1] (212) 599-6194 and 599-6195

FAX:

[1] (212) 661-6405

• the US does not have an embassy in Maldives;
• US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Alaina TEPLITZ (since 1 November 2018), is accredited to both countries;
• note: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke of establishing an embassy on his trip to Maldives in October of 2020

• 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

name:

"Gaumee Salaam" (National Salute)

lyrics/music:

Mohamed Jameel DIDI/Wannakuwattawaduge DON AMARADEVA

note: lyrics adopted 1948, music adopted 1972; between 1948 and 1972, the lyrics were sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne"

Fitch rating:

CCC (2020)

Moody's rating:

B3 (2020)

agriculture:

7.7%

industry:

22.8%

services:

69.5% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.2%

highest 10%:

33.3% (FY09/10)

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 36

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,147,247 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

7.75 million (2018)

total:

93 km (2018)

paved:

• 93 km - 60 km in Male;
• 16 km on Addu Atolis;
• 17 km on Laamu (2018)

note: island roads are mainly compacted coral

• 18-28 years of age for voluntary service;
• no conscription;
• 10th grade or equivalent education required;
• must not be a member of a political party

current situation:

• Maldives is a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and a source country for women and children subjected to labor and sex trafficking;
• primarily Bangladeshi and Indian migrants working both legally and illegally in the construction and service sectors face conditions of forced labor, including fraudulent recruitment, confiscation of identity and travel documents, nonpayment and withholding of wages, and debt bondage;
• a small number of women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and former Soviet states are trafficked to Maldives for sexual exploitation;
• Maldivian women may be subjected to sex trafficking domestically or in Sri Lanka;
• some Maldivian children are transported to the capital for domestic service, where they may also be victims of sexual abuse and forced labor

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Maldives does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government adopted a national action plan for 2015-19 and is continuing to develop victim identification, protection, and referral procedures, but overall its anti-trafficking efforts did not increase;
• only five trafficking investigations were conducted, no new prosecutions were initiated for the second consecutive year, and no convictions were made, down from one in 2013;
• some officials warned businesses in advance of planned raids for suspected trafficking offenses;
• victim protection deteriorated when the state-run shelter for female victims barred access to victims shortly after opening in January 2014, in part because of bureaucratic disputes, which dissuaded victims from pursuing charges against perpetrators;
• the government did not prosecute or hold accountable any employers or government officials for withholding passports (2015)