Country Profile: Maldives

Last reviewed: 9 April 2008

Country information

Map of Maldives

Area: 90,000 sq km (only 1% land)
Population: 400,000 (2004 estimate)
Capital City: Malé (population approx 80,000 )
People:Ethnically homogenous, Maldivians have South Indian, Sinhalese and Arab roots.
Languages: Dhivehi, though English is widely spoken on resort islands and in Malé
Religion(s):100% Islam (Sunni Muslims). It is illegal to publicly practice any other religion.
Currency: Rufiyaa, divided into 100 larees
Major political parties: Political parties are not allowed to operate in the Maldives. Election is on an individual basis
Government: Independent sovereign Republic with a presidential system of government
Head of State: His Excellency President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Foreign Minister: Abdulla Shahid MP
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Member of 59 international organisations including the following: The Commonwealth, SAARC, UN, WHO, Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement.

DID YOU KNOW?

It is illegal to consume alcohol in Maldives, except on holiday resorts.
The land of the Maldives consists of around 1% of its total 90,000 square kilometres.
No island exceeds a length of 4.5 miles or an altitude of 6 feet above sea level.
Women play a major role in society.
A Muslim weekend is followed: Friday and Saturday.
Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
There is no income tax.
The annual number of tourist arrivals is greater than the total population of the Maldives.

Education

The literacy rate is almost 100%, with schools following the British system of education. There are government, community and private schools. Over 30% of teachers are expatriates. Over two-thirds of the total number of pupils are enrolled in primary education. There are many islands with few inhabitants;38% of schools have 100 pupils or less, and 70% of schools have 300 pupils or less. There are 21 schools in Malé, with 316 other schools spread over the other 20 administrative atolls. Of the 5,239 teachers, over 30% are expatriates. The overall teacher to student ratio is 1:20, however 22% of permanent teachers are untrained.

Travel

No prior visa arrangements are required but visitors must have a passport valid for more than six months. A tourist visa of 30 days will be given on arrival to visitors with valid travel documents. All tourists are required to have a booking at a resort or hotel for immigration clearance.

There are 13 scheduled flight operators. The six charter flight operators include Airtours, Monarch and Air 2000 who fly once a week to the Maldives.

Maldives is five hours ahead of GMT. Electricity supply is 240 volts using both round and square pin plugs.

HEALTH

There are two hospitals on the main island Malé and six regional hospitals serving all the remaining islands. In addition, there are 45 smaller scale health centres and 36 health posts serving the islands.

Infectious diseases are under control, with less than 50 cases of Tuberculosis reported, but dengue fever is common. Malaria has been eradicated and the number of HIV/AIDS cases reported is very small.

Sensible precautions should be taken to avoid sunburn and dehydration.

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