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Asia and Oceania
Maldives |
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Last reviewed: 27 October 2009 |
Country information
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: The major political parties in Maldives are the Maldivian Democratic Party and Dhivehi Rayiithunge Party, there are also a number of smaller political parties operating in Maldives.
Government: Independent sovereign Republic with a presidential system of government
Head of State: His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed
Foreign Minister: Dr. Ahmed Shaheed
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.
- 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
There are 13 scheduled flight operators. The six charter flight operators include Airtours and Monarch 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. See http://www.ukinmaldives.fco.gov.uk for more etails of local medical centres and hospitals.
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.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US$1.259bn (Est. 2008)
GDP per head: US$ 3,494 (Est. 2008)
GDP growth: 5.7%
Average Inflation: 12.8% (Est. 2008)
Major Industries: Tourism (26%), Transport and Communications (19%), Govt administration (17%), manufacturing (7%), construction (7%), fisheries (5%)
Major trading partners: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, UK, Italy, France, UAE, India.
Total exports: US$ 330 million (2008)
Total imports: US$ 1,387 (2008)
Exchange rate: 12.8 Rufiyaa = 1 US$, 24.6 Rufiyaa = £1 Sterling (July 2009)
The Maldives principal export destinations in 2008 were the US, Sri Lanka (16.2%), Thailand, and the UK. Over half of the total exports are marine products - canned and dried fish (54%), the majority of the rest of the Maldives exports are apparel and accessories.
The Maldives is projected to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Countries list in 2011.
HISTORY
Maldives was an independent Sultanate from 1153 until the Portuguese invaded in 1558. They ruled for a short span of 15 years until overthrown in 1573. On December 16, 1887 the Sultan of the Maldives signed a contract with the British Governor of Ceylon turning the Maldives into a British protectorate. The Maldives gained independence on July 26, 1965 and became a republic on 11 November 1968. It joined the Commonwealth in 1982.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The Maldives' relation with the UK
Relations between the UK and Maldives have consistently been friendly, with the UK increasing its engagement with the Maldives since 2004 over support for its democratic reform process and issues such as climate change. The Queen visited the Maldives in 1972, while a sizable number of Maldivians visit the UK every year for education and leisure purposes.
The VSO programme in the Maldives closed in 2009 as the islands rating on the UN's Human Development Index (HDI) has considerably improved in recent years.
In October 2004, the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) visited the Maldives. A small delegation of British MPs and members of the House of Lords, met with President Gayoom and the corresponding Maldivian branches.
The Republic of Maldives joined the United Nations in 1965 and is a founder member of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC). It is also a member of the Commonwealth. Since the 1980s, the Maldives has consistently voiced its concerns about the affects of climate change. In March 2009, President Nasheed pledged the Maldives would be carbon neutral by 2020.
There is no British diplomatic mission in the Maldives. The British High Commission in Sri Lanka is accredited to the Maldives.
UK Development Assistance
Most UK development assistance is through multi-lateral agencies. Work supporting UK objective in the Maldives is funded through the Bilateral Programme Fund.
Cultural Relations with the UK
The British Council has been active in Maldives for many years and currently has an office in the National Library. It provides advice for Maldivians wishing to study in the UK as well as providing English lessons.
GEOGRAPHY
The Republic of Maldives, lying about 420 miles south west of Sri Lanka, consists of a chain of 26 natural coral atolls comprising some 1,190 islands. 200 of these islands are inhabited, more than 90 are designated tourist islands, and 20 are industrial islands. The average height of the Maldives islands are 1.5m above sea level. The capital Malé is an area of under 2 square kilometres, and the highest point above sea level in the Maldives is 2.4m.
The Maldives was seriously affected by the tsunami on 26 December 2004 which killed 83 people and virtually destroyed 14 inhabited islands, three of which have been permanently abandoned. 5% of the population lost their homes, 12,000 people were displaced, 8% of the fishing fleet sustained damaged, and a quarter of the resort islands closed for repairs.
Population
The population is approximately 395,000(2009) . Over 40% of the population is under 15 years old. The growth rate is 2.86%. Malé is home to approximately 120,000 people, of which at least 20,000 are foreign labourers from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Around 80% of islands have less than 1000 inhabitants.
Tourism
There are currently over 200 tourist establishments in Maldives, with over over 90 islands dedicated to tourism. The average length of stay is 8.5 days. There were some 683,000 tourists in 2008, and the annual growth rate averages 8%. One quarter of the tourists come from Italy, over 16% from the UK, 14% from Germany and 9% from Japan. The number of UK tourists has risen substantially in recent years (approx. 110,000 in 2008).TRADE AND INVESTMENT
Trade and Investment with the UK
In 2008 exports to the UK from the Maldives stood at US$9.8million, down 21% on 2007. Imports from the UK amounted to US$16.3million, up 1% on 2007.Britain's main exports to Maldives are transport and telecommunication equipment. The UK's main investment in Maldives is a joint venture between Cable and Wireless and the Maldivian government to operate its telecommunication services.
POLITICS
Maldives ratified their new constitution on 7 August 2008. Hailed as the reform constitution, it established the mechanisms for multiparty democracy in the Maldives. It allows for a Presidential system of governance, separation of powers, multiparty democracy, decentralised governance and a host of fundamental freedoms previously unprecedented in the Maldives. Unlike previous constitutions, the reform constitution enables all Sunni Maldivians to contest for the Presidency irrespective of their gender. This constitution was the culmination of a 4-year reform process initiated by the Maldives.Legislative authority is exercised by the People’s Majlis, consisting of 76 members. Each MP represents a constituency of a maximum of 5,000 people. The currently People’s Majlis was composed after the first multiparty parliamentary election was held in the country in May 2009.
President Mohamed Nasheed is the first democratically elected leader of the Maldives. A former political prisoner, President Nasheed has led the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led coalition government since November 11, 2008. President Nasheed and the MDP came to power vowing the establishment of ‘Another Maldives’ with 5 key campaign pledges: establishment of a national transport system; reducing the cost of living; eradication of drugs; affordable housing, and affordable healthcare. He was preceded by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) who led the Maldives from 1978-2008.
Reform process:
After riots in Malé in September 2003, following the death of a prison inmate allegedly as a result of custodial brutality and calls for reform from opposition groups, President Gayoom set up a Human Rights Commission (see Human Rights), and identified five strategic areas of action. These were strengthening democratic institutions and processes of governance; placing emphasis on establishing an inclusive government; streamlining public service and increasing productivity; instituting modern management practices and strengthening the role of the family.
At the opening of the People's Majlis (Parliament) in February 2004, President Gayoom announced that he intended to convene a People’s Special Majlis (a constituent assembly) to draft amendments to the constitution aimed at further strengthening democracy. The Special Majlis, for which elections were held in May 2004, is made up of members elected directly, all members of the People's Majlis and the Cabinet, and presidential appointees.
In a speech made on 9, June 2004, President Gayoom proposed wide-ranging constitutional reforms to develop and strengthen democracy in the Maldives. These included creating the right to establish political parties, a greater separation of powers, establishing the office of Prime Minister, limiting the terms of President to two of five years each and allowing women to stand for the presidency. These ideas, together with suggestions sent in (at the President’s invitation) by the Maldivian public were to be debated by the Special Majlis.
Democratic Reform:
Following pro-reform demonstrations in Male' on 12 and 13 August 2004 (which ended in violence), the Maldivian authorities declared a state of emergency and arrested some 200 people including 10 members of the Special Majlis. Following allegations of mistreatment of detainees, representatives of the EU called on the Foreign Minister to express their concern.
The state of emergency was lifted on 10 October but some of the members of the Special Majlis remained in detention until the end of the year, when the Asian Tusnami struck the Maldives. President Gayoom pardoned those involved in the August demonstrations, dropping all charges. A parliamentary election was held on 22 January 2005. A significant number of pro-reform candidates were elected including some supporters of a self-exiled opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
The Maldivian Democratic Party along with other developing political parties in the country officially registered in the Maldives after President Gayoom ratified the political parties act in June 2005. The reform process from 2004-2008 saw numerous opposition protests, delays in constitutional reform and in 2006 mediation by the British Commission in Colombo between the government and the main opposition, MDP in support for the promotion of peaceful political dialogue to resolve conflict. As part of the constitutional reform agenda a referendum was held in 2007 to decide on a system of governance, which resulted in the establishment of the Presidential system. The country’s first multiparty Presidential elections were held in October 2008 following the ratification of the reform constitution. 6 candidates contested in the election, where no candidate received more than 50% of the popular vote, leading to a second round run off between former President Gayoom and President Nasheed. President Nasheed won the second round with 54.25% of the vote.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Maldives has ratified all six of UN Human Rights Conventions: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention Against Torture, to name a new few. A Human Rights Commission was established in December 2003, but the independence of the commission was questioned and the Act implementing the commission was amended and ratified again in 2006.Following pro-democracy demonstrations in 2003 and 2004, The 2004 Amnesty International and US State Department human rights reports highlighted concerns over freedom of expression and association in the Maldives, with particular respect to political freedoms, the treatment of prisoners and access to justice. Amnesty International highlighted the existence of a small number of prisoners of conscience. In October 2004 the Maldivian Government and the international Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed a memorandum granting the ICRC access to all persons arrested and detained in the Maldives. Amnesty International also secured government agreement to full and unrestricted access to detainees.
Since the development of the reform process and the transition of power in November 2008, there are no longer political prisoners in the Maldives. President Nasheed, a former Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience has pledged to make the Maldives a safe haven for writers and freedom of expression. Although many fundamental freedoms are guaranteed by the constitution, many require the passing of subsequent laws to fully implement these freedoms. Examlpes include the media freedom bill and changing defamation from a criminal to a civil. They are soon to be debated by the parliament.
