Maldives

Location

• Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
• smallest Asian country; archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); strategic location along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Male	103,693	Capital

Size

• 116 square miles
• 300 square kilometers
• about 1.7 times the size of Washington, D.C.

History

A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887 and a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated Maldives' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. After political demonstrations in the capital Male in 2003, GAYOOM and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Political parties were legalized in 2005. In 2008, a constituent assembly -- termed the "Special Majlis" -- finalized a new constitution ratified by GAYOOM. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held later that year. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist whom the regime had jailed several years earlier. In 2012, after several weeks of street protests in response to a top judge's arrest, NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. A government-appointed Commission of National Inquiry concluded that there was no evidence of a coup, but NASHEED contended that police and military personnel forced him to resign. NASHEED, WAHEED, and Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom ran in the 2013 elections with YAMEEN ultimately winning the presidency after three rounds of voting. In 2018, YAMEEN lost his reelection bid to parliamentarian Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH. YAMEEN was arrested and jailed in 2022 on corruption charges. Maldives' fourth democratic election was held in September 2023. The winner, Male City Mayor Dr. Mohamed MUIZZU, campaigned on a platform of Maldivian sovereignty, vowing to remove Indian military personnel from the country. MUIZZU represents a joint Progressive Pary of Maldives and People's National Congress (PPM/PNC) coalition.  

Climate

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

Terrain

flat coral atolls, with white sandy beaches; sits atop the submarine volcanic Chagos-Laccadive Ridge

Languages

Dhivehi (official, closely related to Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English (spoken by most government officials)

Religions

Sunni Muslim (official)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: many previous; latest ratified 7 August 2008amendment process: 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
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: Islamic (sharia) legal system with English common law influences, primarily in commercial matters
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Mohamed MUIZZU (since 17 November 2023)head of government: President Mohamed MUIZZU (since 17 November 2023)cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by People's Majliselection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: 9 September 2023, with runoff on 30 September 2023election results: 2023: Mohamed MUIZZU elected president in the second round; percent of vote in first round - Mohamed MUIZZU (PNC) 46.1%, Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (MDP) 39.1%, Ilyas LABEEB (DEMS) 7.1%, other 7.7%; percent of vote in the second round - Mohamed MUIZZU 54%, Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH 46%2018: Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH elected president in first round; Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (MDP) 58.3%, Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom (PPM) 41.7%expected date of next election: 2028
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 6 justices)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 senior government officials and the public -- and on confirmation by voting members of the People's Majlis; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 70subordinate courts: High Court; Criminal, Civil, Family, Juvenile, and Drug Courts; Magistrate Courts (on each of the inhabited islands)
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: People's Majlis (Majlis)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 93 (all directly elected)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 4/21/2024parties elected and seats per party: People's National Congress (PNC) (66); Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) (12); Independents (11); Other (4)percentage of women in chamber: 3.2%expected date of next election: April 2029

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper middle-income Indian Ocean island economy; major tourism, fishing, and shipping industries; high public debt; systemic corruption; crippled by COVID-19; ongoing deflation; poverty has tripled since pandemic began
• Budget: revenues: $1.407 billion (2021 est.)expenditures: $1.939 billion (2021 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: fish
• Industries: tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
• Agricultural Products: fruits, vegetables, nuts, other meats, papayas, bananas, tomatoes, maize, pulses, chillies/peppers (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 19.7% (2022 est.)arable land: 13% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 3.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 3.3% (2022 est.)forest: 2.7% (2022 est.)other: 77.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, plastic products, aircraft, granite, ships (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: India 15%, UAE 15%, Oman 14%, China 12%, Singapore 8% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: fish, aircraft, refined petroleum, scrap iron, natural gas (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Thailand 32%, India 21%, Singapore 9%, UK 7%, Germany 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports